


A Protector Among Wolves

by blahrandomblah



Series: Stiles and the Seraphim [1]
Category: Scisaac - Fandom, Sterek - Fandom, teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Angel!Stiles, Bottom!Stiles, F/M, Gay Sex, M/M, Slash, bottom!Derek, future!fic, teen wolf!AU, versatile!Sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-28
Updated: 2013-02-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 17:58:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 35,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/612617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blahrandomblah/pseuds/blahrandomblah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles has always been the resourceful, human counterpart to the werewolves in Beacon Hills. However, when he sacrifices himself for one of the wolves, his true ancestry is unlocked. Can his newfound skills help protect the wolf pack, or will they prove to impede the work of the wolves? A romance blossoms through the development of Stiles' abilities. What role will that play in his overall success?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic. I never enjoyed angel!Stiles, but that propelled my urge to write my own fic within that topic. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Stiles runs through the dark woods with steadfast determination. However, the woods are more easily traversed by the supernatural than by mere humans. He endures numerous scratches and even trips a few times as he makes his way through the thicket of standing and fallen trees, persevering toward his endangered friends. As he runs, Stiles remembers the last time they fought such a strong and resourceful enemy.

Two years ago, the group spent the better part of a year in constant conflict with a pack of alphas. While the Beacon Hills pack was eventually successful in defeating the alpha pack, there were many losses. Erica and Boyd were killed, Isaac endured weeks of torture at the hands of a psychotic female alpha, and Allison had been unsuccessfully bitten by one of the alpha twins, leading to her death. Scott and Derek were able to rescue Isaac, but he suffered horrible flashbacks for a few months. 

The year between then and now did see some positive outcomes though. Scott and Isaac were able to find their way together and have developed a solid relationship. Stiles doesn’t know if mates actually exist or not, but he couldn’t imagine a better fit for either Scott or Isaac. Scott and Derek are on great terms. They work well together, and are even becoming friends. Jackson returned to Beacon Hills and convinced Danny to take the bite. Lydia and Jackson are back together, a fact which Stiles still can’t get over. Lydia is more than Jackson deserves. Or, is more than Jackson deserved. His time away has changed him quite a bit. He’s not specifically nicer, but he is definitely tolerable. So that’s the pack now: Derek, Isaac, Jackson, and Danny with Scott, Stiles, and Lydia as accessories. 

The foe they face today is quite formidable. Malachi is the alpha of a fifteen-wolf pack. His strength is monstrous and his propensity for violence is incomparable. He’s carved a path of destruction from southern Oregon through northern California. His pack started smaller, but he collects wolves with each new pack he destroys. The Beacon Hills pack has managed to kill off a few of the wolves, but are still greatly outnumbered. 

Jackson really was the savior in this entire situation. When he left Beacon Hills after the whole kanima death/werewolf rebirth saga, he headed northward. He met a few wolf packs on his way, and maintained contact with most of them. He learned of Malachi’s pack a few weeks before they reached Beacon Hills. Jackson’s information gave the pack time to train for large battle scenarios. Derek has been a rigorous instructor, insisting on training sessions every night of the week.

Malachi’s pack launched a surprise attack during Derek’s training session tonight. Scott and Stiles were running late because Melissa was making them clean up around the house. Even though she wasn’t Stiles’ mom, he had helped wreck the house with Scott during an indoor game of lacrosse earlier. Scott fled to assist as soon as he heard the howls from the woods. Stiles had sprinted to his jeep so quickly that he almost forgot his gun. That’s something he started carrying when the alpha pack was around. He had worked with Deaton to make a few wolfsbane bullets. He knew they would be helpful against Malachi tonight.

The thicket of trees Stiles is running through gives way to an ancient graveyard. Stiles knows it’s disrespectful to tread over the dead, but his need to help his friends overpowers his manners. Besides, the sight before him is terrifying.

Scott and Isaac are fighting back-to-back against half of the betas on one side of the graveyard and are mirrored by Jackson and Danny on the other side. Derek and Malachi are clenched in a ferocious battle in the middle. Scott and Isaac seem to be holding their own, but Jackson and Danny are less-experienced. They look beat up, but are still fighting. As Stiles starts toward the younger wolves, he hears a piercing scream from the middle of the graveyard. His eyes swiftly discover the source of the scream.

Malachi’s claws are buried deep within Derek’s back. He throws Derek against one of the larger head stones, which breaks under the force of the impact. Derek crumbles in a heap on the ground. Stiles watches Derek’s failed attempt to raise himself off of the ground. Stiles sprints as fast as his legs will carry him toward the injured alpha. Malachi is closing in on Derek, and Stiles doesn’t know if he’ll make it to them in time. 

Stiles pulls his gun out of its holster, and aims it at Malachi. He delays from pulling the trigger because he doesn’t want to hit Derek by mistake. Malachi and Stiles reach Derek at the same time. As Malachi swings his gigantic claw toward Derek’s face, Stiles jumps between them. He manages to pull off a shot to Malachi’s left arm. The initial shot isn’t enough to stop Malachi’s momentum. Stiles is struck from shoulder to hip by the alphas attack. He lets out a blood-curdling scream that silences the entire graveyard. His weak form falls to the ground in a mangled heap. 

The wolfsbane from the bullet starts to work its way through Malachi’s system. One chilling howl calls his remaining pack into retreat. Scott and Isaac were able to kill three wolves during the battle. Jackson and Danny only managed one. However, none of them are focused on their achievements right now. The entire pack rushes to Stiles’ side.

Derek’s wolf healing has reversed most of the injuries he endured from Malachi. He is leaning over Stiles, deciding how best to move him. He can hear Stiles’ heartbeat, erratic and weakening. If they don’t get him to a hospital soon, he won’t make it.

“Derek, you have to do something!” Scott cries, looking down at his best friend, his brother. A tear falls from the corner of his eye as he assesses the damage. Isaac walks over and pulls him into a reassuring embrace.

“I know!” Derek retorts, angrily. “How are we going to explain this at a hospital, though?”

Isaac offers an alternative over Scott’s shoulder, “Maybe we should just take him to Deaton. He’s always there when one of us gets badly injured. I’m sure he can help Stiles.”

“Deaton works on the supernatural, not on humans,” Danny adds.

Derek hears one too many breaks in Stiles’ heartbeat. He finally lifts Stiles as if he were a baby, cradling him in his arms. “I’m taking him to the hospital,” he yells as he runs off toward Stiles’ jeep. He’ll think of a story on the way. He just hopes Stiles can hold on long enough.


	2. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles learns about his true heritage.

Stiles is sure he is dead. Well, as he’s never been dead before, Stiles is convinced he must be dead. He thinks he is dead. He recalls jumping between Malachi and Derek, and he remembers shooting his gun. He doesn’t know if he shot Malachi or not. However, he definitely recalls Malachi’s ferocious claw decimating the upper half of his body. So, Stiles must be dead.

Stiles wonders how he can possess the ability to remember these events and consider his own mortality, and still be dead. If he were dead, there would be no consciousness to speak of. If he were dead, he would not be able to see the blinding light that approaches him from the left. The light grows brighter as it slowly encompasses all of Stiles’ vision.

“You are not dead, Stiles Stilinski,” states a deep, reverberating voice from within the light.

“Oh, well, that’s great, because I really don’t know what I would do if I were dead. You see, I’ve never slowed down once in my life, and dying is basically like slamming the breaks. Everyone knows you get whiplash if you slam the breaks too hard. Dear lord, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Stiles asks the bodiless voice.

“Calm yourself, child. No harm will come to you while you are in this place,” answers the voice.

“Oh, I’m not scared,” Stiles lies, “but what is this place? Because, if I’m not dead, then why do I seem to be in heaven. I mean, big glowing light, booming voice without a body, and I don’t feel a shred of pain from that attack…are you God?”

“This is not heaven, and I am no god. Your body still exists in Beacon Hills, but I have shifted your essence here, to the realm of light.” As the voice continues talking, Stiles starts adjusting to the light. He is just starting to make out shapes within the brightness. “This realm is home to the guardians of humanity. This is the plane of the angels.”

On cue, the source of the voice becomes visible. Stiles sees the man, or assumedly an angel, for the first time. He seems to be much taller than a human, but Stiles’ perspective is limited. Even in the brightness, a white light seems to outline the angel from his golden hair down to his bare feet. It highlights the creases of his musculature. Stiles cannot believe how formidable this being looks.

“Angels. Ok. Um. Do you mean like biblical angels?” Stiles asks, perplexed.

“The Bible speaks of many things both true and false; however, angels have existed since before the dawn of man and will endure for eons after the fall of man.”

“That’s still not really an answer there, buddy. I mean, what kind of angel you?” Stiles regrets his naturally sarcastic reaction as soon as it happens.

The angel seems to ignore it, though. “The Bible does speak of us, but it knows nothing of our true existence. We are slaves to no will but our own. Our duty to humanity is to ensure the natural order of everything. Our powers are far from limitless, but are incomparable to any physical being. 

Through eons of existence, our numbers have dwindled. You see, if an angel chooses, it may relinquish its powers and gain mortality. In the beginning of time, no angel believed this would happen. However, some angels grew tired of their duties and searched for relief in life as a mortal. When once we numbered thousands, we are now but three. I am Ephraim, archangel of destiny. My brother, Gideon is archangel of the physical world. The final is our sister Dinah, archangel of judgment. Together, we maintain balance in the natural world.”

“That explains a lot more, Ephraim. I mean, your holiness. I mean, that was a much better answer.” Stiles is wondering why any of this is really important. If he’s not dead, then why is he here? If this isn’t heaven, then why are there angels? “What does any of this have to do with why I’m here?”

“When our brothers and sisters devolved into mortality, there was an unforeseeable side effect. When a former angel mates with a human, the bloodline becomes permanently altered. The result is neither human, nor angel. The part-angel is mortal, but not entirely human. For most, this alteration has no consequence. For others, a rare gift may be presented.

In these rare cases, a residual echo of angelic powers will be passed on to the part-angel. These powers are in a much weakened state, but are existent. My siblings and I normally bind these powers away from these halflings because humans are too consumed by the selfish need for power and control. However, the occasional selfless human presents itself to us, and we release their powers to them.”

“I’m still not entirely sure what this has to do with me,” Stiles answers honestly. Although, that’s not specifically true. Stiles isn’t daft. If he’s here in the realm of light being told of pseudo-angelic offspring with strange powers, he likely knows someone who is one of these beings. Werewolves. Kanimas. Why not add a halfling to the group?

“Five generations ago, a powerful member of the seraphim, Ester, descended to the Earth as a mortal. She fell in love with a mortal man. Your mother was a descendant of Ester. Therefore, you share an angelic bloodline with her.”

Stiles clearly misheard what was just said, because he thinks it means that his great-great-grandmother was an angel. Impossible! That, in turn, would make Stiles part-seraph, but it’s been many generations since Ester; how much angelic blood could even run through his veins?

“You did not misunderstand me,” Ephraim answers. “Even a drop of angelic blood is enough to pass on the hereditary chance for powers. We realized at a young age that you would one day possess these powers, and we bound them early in your childhood. After your selfless, heroic actions in the graveyard, we have decided that you could be an effective force of light in the mortal realm. We have restored your powers to your injured body, which will heal almost instantaneously upon your return. Heed these words, Stiles Stilinski: the gift we return can be once more removed if used incorrectly. We will offer no warning, and express no regret. You will do well to remember this.”

Before Stiles can even begin to process the last few moments, the light begins to fade. “WAIT!” he shouts. The light continues to fade swiftly, and no answer comes. Suddenly, Stiles is falling. Through what he is unsure, but he lands perfectly within his own, damaged body. As he lies there, in a hospital bed, he begins to process what just happened.

Apparently, angels exist. Some of them left their realm and became mortal. Then, after mating with some humans, a new being was created that is part-angel, part-human. Ephraim referred to them once as “halflings”. Some of these halflings have pseudo-angelic powers. Stiles has these powers now. Right! Maybe Stiles’ first thought about being dead was wrong, but he has definitely been dreaming. He’s sure this was all just a dream. He thinks this was just a dream. Wasn’t this just a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I imagine Ephraim's voice to sound like Sir Ian McKellen's...FYI.


	3. Feeling No Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles wakes up, surrounded by his friends. Morphine does wonders for the human body. ;)

Stiles’ body is in the process of waking up. His ears pick up a multitude of noises as his body lies still in the uncomfortable hospital bed. The beeps and buzzes of the monitors are easily noticeable. A foot is tapping somewhere in the room. That’s probably Scott; he worries too much about Stiles. The sound of a muffled kiss to the head likely belongs to Isaac, comforting his other half. A cell phone beep goes off and the tell-tale clicks of texting clearly signal that Lydia is in the room. The loud exhale of air from Jackson is followed by the sound of a punch to the arm from Danny.

A strong wave of affection fills Stiles’ heart at the recognition of all his friends. This is reality. This is familiar. Regular, human Stiles isn’t dreaming anymore. Not all of his friends are here though. He listens for a moment longer, but cannot hear Derek. Stiles thinks that Derek was probably still recovering from Malachi’s attack. The thought makes Stiles sick to his stomach.

Someone is touching Stiles; he can feel it. A hand rests softly in the crook of his elbow as a thumb traces soothing circles into his forearm. Stiles wonders which of his friends consoles him so endearingly. The skin of the thumb is coarse, so Stiles assumes it is one of the guys, probably Danny since Isaac is with Scott. It’s definitely not Jackson. Then again, didn’t Stiles hear Danny hit Jackson?

As Stiles’ eyes slowly begin to open, they are flooded with fluorescent light from the ceiling above. The plain, white walls of his hospital room slowly come into focus, and, apart from the machines, the noises in the room all come to a halt. Stiles attempts to find the owner of the calming hand, but his eyes are still tinged with the brightness of the lights and white walls. Through his deadened vision, he notices dark hair and the signs of a stubble-laden face. Only one of his friends fits the blurred image, but why would he be this close? As the bleariness wanes, Derek’s face becomes easily recognizable. The concerned expression on his face is new, though. 

Stiles’ eyebrows rise instinctively as he looks down from Derek’s face to see the hand on his arm. A small jolt of excitement is lost as Derek quickly removes his hand, saying, “Glad to see you’re awake. Now, why the hell did you jump in front of an attacking alpha…”

Derek is stopped by a slap to the back of the head from Lydia. “What he means to say is, ‘hey there, boo. How are you feeling?’” Lydia’s smile is full of adoration. Her normal, piercing gaze is replaced by a tender, caring one.

Stiles considers this for a moment. He can feel the tight bandages wrapped around most of his upper body. Another bandage is wrapped around his head; he must have hit it against the gravestone as he was struck down by Malachi. In his dream, Ephraim had told him he would wake up completely healed. That is one explanation for his lack of pain. A second, more reasonable explanation is that morphine works wonders on the human body. As Stiles can see an IV hooked up to his right arm, he chooses to believe it’s the morphine. 

“Actually, I feel ok,” Stiles answers. The others would think he was high if he told them how great he truly felt. “It takes more than a big, huge, scary alpha to keep this human down.” Small chuckles fill the room as everyone notices Stiles’ still has his humor.

“Are you kidding me? You couldn’t even handle Lydia on your own, dude!” Scott jokes.

Stiles smiles as he retorts, “True, but neither could you. I mean, do you even know how badass she is?”

“No. We’ve never met her before,” Isaac adds dryly, receiving what Stiles believes is an inappropriate amount of laughter in response. “Hey, but, really: are you going to be ok?”

“To be honest, which I wasn’t a minute ago because I didn’t want you all to think I was high, I feel great. If I believed in the idea of exercise, I would even run a mile to prove it.” Everyone stares at Stiles like he’s lost his mind. “See, I told you: you all think I’m high out of my mind, and maybe I am. I mean this morphine is great. I don’t feel anything. You wouldn’t believe the crazy dreams it gives you either. Totally otherworldly. And highly detailed. Strange.”

“Could you stop with the word vomit, Stilinski?” Jackson interrupts. “No one can understand you when you talk that fast.”

“I understood him just fine, thank you,” Scott says.

“Yeah, just use your ears, dumbass,” adds Danny.

Derek surprises everyone when he retorts, “Jackson, stop being an asshole. He’s probably still in shock from the attack. Trust me, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to be on the receiving end of.” Everyone suddenly remembers that Derek had been attacked viciously by Malachi as well. Silence returns to the room.

The quiet lingers until a nurse walks into the room. “I think we should all let young Mr. Stilinski here get some rest.” Stiles’ friends nod their agreement and begin exiting the room. The nurse walks over to the machine next to Stiles and programs it to give him another dose of morphine.

Scott stops just before exiting the door. He signals the nurse to his position. He whispers to her, but Stiles can hear him in the silence of the room. “Um…would it be ok if I stayed for a little while longer? His dad’s working on a big case right now, and I’m all he has. I don’t want him to be alone.”

“That’s fine, but only you. I’ll let Melissa know that you’re in here.”

“Thanks.”

As the nurse leaves the room, Scott walks over to the chair previously occupied by Derek and sits, head facing the floor. Now that it’s just the two of them, Scott lets go of whatever restraint he had mustered while their friends were there. Light reflects off of a tear as it slips down the side of Scott’s face. He bites his bottom lip as another tear seeps out the corner of his eye. Stiles notices that Scott is shaking, and reaches an arm out to Scott’s shoulder.

“Scott. Hey, Scott. Look at me,” Stiles directs, but Scott keeps his head down. “Scott McCall, look at me.” Scott lifts his head slightly, just enough to make eye contact with Stiles. “I’m ok. I made it. Listen to my heartbeat. Watch my chest; I’m breathing. I’m alive. I’m ok.”

Stiles watches as Scott closes his eyes. He does this when he wants to focus on a certain sound. Stiles knows he is listening to the steady beat of his heart. Scott opens his eyes again, “I thought you were dead,” he says through a sniffle.

“I know.”

“You don’t know. I was freaking out. I can’t lose someone else, Stiles. My dad. Erica. Boyd. Allison. I can’t lose you, too.”

“I know, Scott. We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. I know how you think. I know what you’ve been through. I’m perfectly fine, though.”

“You’re all bandaged up, dude. You’re not perfectly fine.”

“Hey, this is my just-woke-up-after-being-attacked party, and I’ll not cry if I want to.” Scott chuckles. “You good now?”

Scott nods his head. “Yeah.”

“Thanks for staying.”

Scott just shrugs.

They sit together in silence for a good while. Stiles is feeling the effects of the extra morphine and is starting to fall asleep when Scott startles him, “HEY! You said the morphine gave you a crazy dream. Tell me about it.”

“Oh, nothing too crazy,” Stiles starts, but the morphine makes his eyelids feel too heavy. Unconsciousness is calling him. He begins mumbling while nodding off, head dropping between each word. “Destiny. Ephraim. No wings. Interspecies sex.” He leaves his friend bewildered as he is finally overcome with sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, there isn't going to be a Sciles pairing. Best friends share a unique intimacy with each other, and I wanted to show some of that between Scott and Stiles. There will likely be more of this later in the story as well.


	4. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Stiles wakes up in the hospital, his nurse is in for a surprise. When he makes it home, it's his turn to be surprised.

The hospital room is empty when Stiles opens his eyes this time. He looks to his left, eyeing the chair that Derek and Scott had each occupied the night before. A small part of him is disappointed that neither of them fill the seat now. Scott, he understands. Scott is his best friend. Stiles should want Scott around. What Stiles finds incomprehensible is that he wishes Derek filled the seat. Derek and Stiles are friends now, but they aren’t particularly good ones. Derek still tosses out the occasional threat of bodily harm, although Stiles thinks these threats are more of a joke now. He must just be concerned about Derek. Derek got his ass kicked by Malachi; there’s no other way to say it. Stiles wonders how that has affected his friend.

A nurse enters the room, interrupting Stiles’ line of thought. She walks over to the bed and smiles as she notices that Stiles is awake. “Good morning. I’m Jennifer, and I’ll be taking care of you for the next few hours.” She checks the monitors above Stiles’ head and then looks back down at him. “Your vitals look great, Stiles.”

“Yeah, that’s what all the ladies say,” Stiles jokes. Not that any ladies have actually seen the Stilinski vitals, but that’s what they would say if they had. They might say it. Well, they would say something anyway.

“I call bull shit!” Stiles hears Lydia say as she walks into the hospital room. “Which ladies would that be, specifically?”

“Well, there’s…um…uh…well…you know, nobody likes a smartass,” Stiles answers.

“That’s not true. You like me. Jackson likes me. Danny likes me. Actually, everyone likes me.”

Stiles could not argue with that. “Well, some of us do tolerate you.”

Jennifer clears her throat to interrupt the bickering friends. “I need to change your bandages, Stiles. We don’t want you getting an infection or anything.” Stiles nods. “Now, I don’t want you to be alarmed. From what I understand, you suffered a fairly nasty bear attack, so you’ll probably look really torn up. I know that makes some people uncomfortable.” So, that’s the story Derek had gone with: a bear attack. Stiles hopes it was a black bear.

“I’ve probably seen worse. My dad is the Sheriff, you know.”

“Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Is it ok for me to remove your bandages in front of your friend, or would you like to ask her to wait outside?”

“I know for a fact she’s been dying to see all of this uncovered,” Stiles responds, waving his hand up and down his torso. “So, I guess she can stay.” He winks at Lydia, who is not amused.

“Ok, then,” the nurse replies. She pulls the warm hospital blanket down to Stiles’ waist. “Could you sit up for me?” Stiles sits up more easily than he would have thought possible given his condition. She unfastens the bandage around his midriff. As the layers unravel, white cloth gives way to pink. The pink layer is followed by a crimson one. Stiles feels sick to his stomach as he sees the bloodstained bandages. Maybe he should have closed his eyes, but he cannot look away now.

When the bandage is completely removed, Stiles cannot believe his eyes. He saw the blood-covered bandage. He had definitely been cut; however, his stomach is clean of any wound, just like Ephraim said it would be. Fuck. That dream is coming true more and more, Stiles thinks. He just can’t get over how ridiculous the idea is though.

“Excuse me, can you tell me why the nurses from last night would bandage his midriff if he didn’t have any injuries there?” Lydia asks Jennifer.

“They wouldn’t,” she responds.

“Well, in case your eyes have stopped working, I’d just like to point out that Stiles’ stomach looks fine.”

“I do see that, miss. I can only assume someone got a little over-zealous in their wrapping. Let me remove the rest of the bandages.”

The three of them are all dumbfounded when the remaining bandages are removed. Each is bloodstained, but there are no wounds to be found. Stiles’ body is unmarked, even by the scratches he remembers getting from running through the trees. Shit. Shit. Shit. There has to be an explanation for this. Maybe Deaton slipped in in the middle of the night with some strange herb. That sounds like something Deaton would do.

“I need to go get one of the doctors,” Jennifer says. She leaves the room in a hurry, leaving Stiles and Lydia.

“Stiles, why don’t you look like you’ve been through a meat grinder?” Lydia asks. “The pack told me what happened to you. You should be torn to shreds.”

“I know, Lydia! I was kinda sorta there for the whole Stiles-getting-attacked thing.”

“Could you have been bitten? I mean, if Malachi is that strong and fast, maybe he bit you without anyone noticing.” Lydia stares into Stiles eyes for a minute. 

Stiles had not considered the idea that he had been bitten. That would explain his massive healing abilities. He passed out after Malachi’s claws slammed down, tearing his chest apart. He easily could have been bitten without knowing it.

“You’re staring into my eyes. Are they glowing?”

“No, but you know that doesn’t always happen.”

“True. I was unconscious for a long time; I guess I could have been bitten.”

“Great! Leave me all alone over here on team not-a-werewolf.”

“Hey! At least you have that crazy immunity thing going on. I mean, some of us have always been solidly team human.”

“Yes, how horrible it must be to be normal. Well, normal-ish.” 

Stiles smiles. He likes the place he and Lydia have reached as friends. Even now, in this uncertain state of mind, they can joke with each other, forgetting Stiles’ lifetime crush on her. They have spent a lot of time together over the last year, being the only humans in their group of friends.

The nurse reenters the room with a doctor. “Good morning, Stiles. Jennifer tells me your wounds have completely healed. Let’s have a look.” As she looks him over, Stiles and Lydia stare at her quietly. How are they ever going to explain this?

“Hmmm,” the doctor utters. “I’m not sure what kind of prank you and your friends are trying to pull here, but I have to tell you, I am not amused. Do you realize how much time and resources were spent in order to ‘save you’? It sickens me to think that the sheriff’s son would do something like this. Be happy that I’m not pressing charges, but you can rest assured that I will be calling the good sheriff and reporting your tomfoolery. Now, get dressed and leave this place at once.”

Stiles is overcome with a sense of relief that soon dissipates as he realizes how severe the fallout with the sheriff will be. He looks at Lydia, and they both hang their heads. The doctor leaves without giving either of them a chance to explain themselves. That’s better anyways, Stiles thinks. He wouldn’t have known what to say.

Lydia helps Stiles find his clothes before stepping into the hall so he can dress. His shirt is torn and bloodstained, though. So, he ends up wearing the hospital gown with his jeans. As he walks into the hallway, Lydia laughs. They make their way to the exit and leave the hospital.

“What just happened?” Lydia asks.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad that doctor came up with a cover for us. I wouldn’t have been able to come up with one.”

“Well, I was going to say you were crazy. And, clearly, you are. ‘She’s been dying to see all of this uncovered’,” she mocks Stiles joke from earlier. “Anyone would have believed me.”

“It doesn’t matter now, anyway. Can you just take me home? I’m kinda freaked out here. I don’t need to be around people if I’ve been bitten by a werewolf.” Stiles is going to stick to this alternative explanation as long as possible. Sure, he doesn’t have any increased hearing or smelling, but maybe that comes later.

“Well, since I’m immune, I guess I can risk being in the car with you.” Lydia smiles and winks.

The drive to the Stilinski house is a quiet one. Stiles just stares out the window during the ride. He replays the Ephraim dream in his head over and over. It still doesn’t make any sense to him. However, he also doesn’t truly believe Malachi had a chance to bite him, either. He hates being confused. He hates not having the answers.

The street is eerily empty as Stiles and Lydia pull up toward his home. It’s midday, but no one seems to be home. That’s strange. “I’m going to come in and make sure you get settled in, ok?” Lydia asks Stiles, who just nods while his mind is lost in thought.

As they step out of the car, Stiles knows something is wrong. He can’t explain how he knows, it’s just a feeling that consumes his entire body like an unexpected cold chill. He looks around for some sign of movement, but everything is still. Lydia doesn’t seem to be bothered. They walk toward the front door. As Lydia reaches out for the doorknob, Stiles sees movement reflected in the door’s window.

He turns around to see two of Malachi’s betas running toward them wolfed out. They jump in unison and stretch their claws forward in an attack. Stiles throws up both hands in an effort to shield his face as his back bumps into Lydia’s. He closes his eyes and prepares himself for the unavoidable pain, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he feels a tingling sensation surge through his body. He opens his eyes in time to see himself pushing his hands forward toward the wolves. They stop in midair and are flung across the yard. 

Each of Stiles’ hands is pointed at one of the werewolves, who seem unable to move from the ground. The tingling sensation starts to dim from Stiles’ body, replaced by immense fatigue. As it does, his hands drop to his sides. The wolves stand, but are noticeably frightened. They retreat from Stiles’ neighborhood more quickly than any human could follow.

“Oh my god!” Stiles exclaims.

“What the hell was that?” Lydia questions, excitedly?

“I have no idea,” Stiles answers before fainting to the ground from exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to update! Now that the holidays are over, I should be back on schedule for a chapter every day or two.


	5. Group Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack, Scott, and Lydia are all confused by the strange things happening around Stiles. It's time for him to explain.

Small popping sounds fill the room as Stiles stretches his arms and legs out in awkward positions, pushing out the last remnants of sleep from his body. He yawns before opening his eyes. His living room comes to life around him. He doesn’t remember how he got in the house or onto the couch. He definitely doesn’t remember the pack and Scott being invited over, but they’re all here.

Scott and Isaac are sitting together on the floor by the couch. Lydia sits in the sheriff’s chair, tapping her right foot restlessly. Jackson sits on the arm of the chair with his head against the wall, sleeping. Danny is on the other arm and is rubbing circles into Lydia’s back. Stiles has to sit up to find Derek, who has pulled in a dining room chair to the end of the couch where Stiles’ head had been laying. A smile spreads across Derek’s face as Stiles looks at him. Stiles feels dizzy; he’s probably just not fully recovered from fainting.

“You ok?” Derek asks.

“I’m still a little dizzy from fainting, but I feel fine, otherwise,” Stiles answers.

“Fainting? You completely passed out,” Lydia corrects.

“Come again?” Stiles asks, confused.

“You’ve been out for two hours, man,” Scott tells him. “Lydia called us after you’d been out for about 30 minutes. We’ve all been worried about you. Lydia wouldn’t tell us what happened.”

“Incorrect. I said that I didn’t know exactly what happened and that Stiles would need to explain it when he wakes up,” Lydia says.

“She did tell us about the hospital, though. Why don’t you have any wounds? Do you think Deaton slipped in and gave you something?” Isaac asks the same questions Stiles has been struggling to avoid within himself.

“I’m really not sure,” Stiles lies. 

“That’s helpful, Stilinski.” Stiles isn’t sure when Jackson woke up, but he wishes he would have just stayed asleep. “Really fucking helpful.”

“Jackson, lay off! He’s been through enough the last two days, he doesn’t need your shit on top of it!” Derek berates his beta. Everyone looks at Derek, surprised. Stiles can’t explain the smile that spreads across his face, but it feels good that Derek is in his corner. Jackson drops his head and looks away from his alpha.

“Stiles, what happened outside the house?” Derek asks. “All we know is that you were attacked by two of Malachi’s betas.”

All eyes are on Stiles now, even Jackson’s. Stiles isn’t sure how to explain what happened, because he doesn’t really understand it himself. “Guys, I really don’t know what to say. I mean, it happened really fast, and I passed out afterwards. It’s all a bit hazy, to be honest.”

Everyone continues to stare at him, so he continues. “As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I just had this bad feeling. Then, as we stepped out of the car, it got worse. You know how sometimes you get a cold chill out of nowhere and your whole body shivers?” They all nod. “Well, it was kind of like that, but stronger. By the time we reached the door, my whole body just felt wrong. I saw some movement in the window, and turned around.

The two betas came out of nowhere, like ninjas. They ran toward us at first, and then launched themselves at us. I cornered Lydia behind me, because I’m a gentleman, and then threw my hands up to protect my beautiful face. Don’t want anyone hurting the moneymaker. Next thing I know, the wolves are flying through the air and slamming down on the ground. They ran away just before I passed out.”

Stiles watches the puzzled looks spread across everyone’s faces. They’re clearly trying to figure out what could have happened to the wolves. Stiles doesn’t want to tell them about his hands pushing the wolves away; it was probably just a coincidence.

“That’s not exactly how it happened, though,” Lydia says to Stiles. “I mean, you’re right up until your explanation of the attack.” She turns her focus to the others. “When the wolves jumped at us, Stiles started to…well, glow. Glow isn’t the perfect word, but he was surrounded by this white aura. Then, as he put his hands up, the wolves started to glow, too. He pushed his hands forward and they were thrown across the yard. Stiles stood with his hands extended, and the wolves couldn’t move. He started to shake, and the aura disappeared. That’s when the wolves were able to get up and run away, scared.”

All of their friends eyes are wide open with shock after Lydia’s explanation of events. They keep looking from one another to Stiles, and their expressions become more confused with each glance. Scott, the pack, and Lydia aren’t the only confused ones, though. 

“I glowed?” Stiles asks, horrified. “Like a fricken glow stick!”

“That’s the part you’re stuck on, Stiles?” Derek asks. “Not the whole I-can-throw-werewolves-through-the-air-without-touching-them thing?”

“Well, that’s, um…new, too.” 

“What’s going on, Stiles? What’s happening to you?” Scott is noticeably concerned as he asks.

Stiles exhales deeply, admitting the same thing to himself as he tells his friends, “I think I’m an angel or, more specifically, a half-angel.” He closes his eyes and drops his head back against the arm of the couch. He doesn’t want to see the reactions to this. Fuck. That wasn’t a dream.

“Excuse me?!” Jackson asks. “An angel. Where are your damned wings and halo, then?”

Exhaling again, Stiles answers, “I don’t have any, smartass. That’s not part of the package.”

Stiles realizes there’s no use pretending his dream was a dream. He plays it through his head one more time before deciding to tell the group. “Look, after Malachi attacked me, I thought I had died. I saw a light approaching, and heard this boomy, god-like voice,” Stiles starts.

As he explains his experience with Ephraim, he watches his friends. Jackson scowls for the length of the story. Lydia’s mind is obviously running a mile a minute processing everything he’s saying. Scott smiles in awe. Isaac and Danny are unreadable, and Derek is calculating. When he’s done explaining, everyone stays quiet. Stiles closes his eyes again to avoid their stares.

“Stiles,” Derek starts. “What powers did Ephraim say you would have?”

“He didn’t and, being in the hospital, I haven’t had time to do any research on what kind of powers angels are typically rumored to have. So, I’m just as lost as the rest of you. I mean, clearly I can heal myself. Then, there’s whatever telekinetic mojo happened with the wolves. I didn’t know what I was doing, though. I just felt this tingling, and my body reacted instinctively.”

“Do you realize what this means?” Derek asks. “We might actually have a way to stop Malachi now. I mean, I wasn’t strong enough, but maybe you are.”

“Yeah, and maybe using that much power would hurt Stiles,” Scott adds.

“What do you mean?” Derek asks him to explain.

“Um. Using his powers to take out the betas knocked him out for two hours. How draining do you think it would be for him to take on Malachi?” Everyone always underestimates Scott. He’s more observant than the others give him credit for.

“He’s right, Derek,” Danny says. “Even though he’s awake, he still looks worn out.”

“Maybe he could gain stamina by training like we do. We all had to learn to control our powers, too,” Derek reminds them.

“He’s an angel, though. It could be completely different for him. Maybe the energy loss is part of the process,” Isaac adds.

“You know, he’s right here,” Stiles says dryly. “I think Derek has a point. If we can use me to stop Malachi, we should. His wolves don’t care about attacking and turning innocent people, and I want to stop that if I can.” Everyone smiles at this.

Derek leans forward in his chair, closer to Stiles face. From where Stiles is laying, Derek can look down into his eyes. He smiles. Stiles’ heart may or may not skip a beat. “I knew you’d want to help.”

“I do, but I think you’re right. I need to train. I need to research and see what I may be able to do. I don’t want to half-ass this.” Stiles says.

“The sooner we start, the better,” Derek insists.

“Then, get out of here. All of you. I need time with my computer.” Stiles says, earning a chuckle from Scott. He sits up. “Not that kind of time, moron. I need to research, and I can’t do that if you’re all here distracting me.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Scott replies honestly.  
“Hey, apparently, I can protect myself now. I’ll be ok.” Stiles responds, secretly thinking that he wouldn’t know how to protect himself if the need arose.

“Ok. Come on guys, let’s go,” Scott says to the others. They all get up in turn and leave the Stilinski house. 

Derek is the last to move. He places a hand on Stiles shoulder as he stands up. Why does Stiles’ heart keep acting so silly? “If you start to feel weak again, call one of us. I didn’t want to scare Scott, but I agree with him; I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone right now.”

Good, Stiles thinks. He doesn’t want to be alone either. “Well, I guess you could stay if you really think it’s necessary. You’ll have to help with research, though. There’s no free-loafing in the Stilinski house, no sir. I’ll use the awesomeness that is the internet, and you can thumb through some books.”

“I can do that,” Derek says, smiling. “Lead the way.”

Stiles stands up and leads Derek upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to offer a quick thank you for those of you that continue to read this story! Each time I see new hits, kudos, and comments, I am energized to write even more! Thanks for sticking around!


	6. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles notices something strange while he and Derek research. It could definitely complicate things.

Stiles and Derek walk into Stiles’ bedroom. Stiles grabs an ancient book off of his bookcase and hands it to Derek. Then, he sits at his computer desk and starts typing away in the open browser. He turns around and is momentarily frozen by an incredible sight: Derek Hale is lying across his bed while flipping through the pages of the old book. Stiles definitely doesn’t notice how Derek’s jeans cup his ass perfectly. He doesn’t.

“Well, just make yourself at home there,” Stiles says once he regains his composure.

An expression similar to embarrassment floods Derek’s face. “I’m sorry. I can sit at the other desk if you want.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I just…I was surprised; that’s all. Scott’s really the only person that ever feels comfortable enough to make himself at home. I…I’m glad you feel comfortable here.” Stiles doesn’t know why he’s sweating. His heartbeat is racing.

“I know it probably sounds strange, because you’re completely spastic 130% of the time, but you have a calming effect on me.” Derek drops his head to avoid Stiles’ eyes as he admits this. 

“I get it. I feel safer when you’re around, and that’s definitely calming.”

“Really?” Derek asks as he lifts his head. “It’s just that your heart sounds like it’s trying to escape your body right now; I don’t see how that’s calming.”

“Well, it’s not every day that you see a h…someone sprawled out on your bed,” Stiles corrects mid-sentence. Did he really almost call Derek hot? Oh, god. This can’t be happening, Stiles thinks to himself. Fuck. What is it with the unattainable ones? First Lydia; now Derek? “It was just a minor shock, that’s all.” 

That’s an understatement for this situation. Stiles hasn’t been attracted to anyone in a long time. No girls. No guys. If he was being honest with himself, which he rarely was, he had started to consider himself asexual. Sure, when he was younger he had been attracted to Lydia, but he mostly just kept up that ruse so people didn’t call him gay. Not that being called gay would have been a bad thing, he just wasn’t sure if it was true. He’s still not sure. 

“So, we better start on that research,” Stiles says, changing the subject. “I mean, Malachi isn’t getting any weaker.”

Derek stares at Stiles for a few moments. “Yeah, you’re right. We should get to work.”

Stiles turns back to his computer, but not before taking another peek at those jeans. Fuck. The uncertainty is starting to dim. He combs through every article he can find for the next couple of hours. He can hear pages being turned slowly behind him; Derek is obviously doing his part as well.

After about three hours, Stiles turns around again. “So, anything interesting yet?”

“Well, this book hasn’t been too helpful. It says that you should have healing properties, but we already know that. It also talks about a halo being the source of power for angels, but you clearly don’t have one of those.”

“That’s not true, though. Lydia said that I had a glowing aura when I used my powers. The aura could easily be my halo. I mean, most of the stuff people think about angels haven’t been true yet. They don’t live in heaven. They don’t have wings. Maybe the halo is figurative.”

“Maybe. What about you? Did you find anything?”

“I found a lot of websites about biblical angels, at first. It took me a while to find some more myth-based sources, but I cross-listed a few of them and I think I may have come up with some possible powers. First, most seem to agree that I should be able to exorcise a demon just by touching a possessed human. Cool, right, but unhelpful with a werewolf. Second, is the telekinesis, but we already know about that. Apparently, I should have increased strength, and I should be able to translocate myself.”

“Trans-what?” Derek asks, clearly confused.

“Well, angels are from a different plane of existence, right? They, or I guess we, have to be able to get there and back. So, we can shift from one place to another.”

“You mean like teleporting?”

“I guess. I’m learning this stuff too, dude,” Stiles says. 

“That could be useful.”

“I know, right? The only other thing I’ve learned is that I’m not immune from harm; that’s why I have the ability to heal. I guess invincibility only comes with full-angel status.”

“Your healing seems to make you damn near invincible. Your wounds were far worse than mine, and you healed them almost instantly. I can’t imagine what it would take to kill you.”

“You know, surprisingly, I’d rather we didn’t mention the kill word” Stiles points out. “It just puts a total crimp in the whole being-alive thing, you know?”

Derek shakes his head, but a small smile pulls on one corner of his mouth. “Are you ever serious? We need to figure out a training plan, Stiles. You’ve got to learn how to control these abilities quickly.”

“I know. It can wait until tomorrow, though. I still feel drained and could use a lot more sleep. As for a plan, I think we just add me into your normal training schedule. While you all are practicing wolf skills, I’ll practice recognizing and utilizing my own abilities. To be honest, we don’t even know if I’ll have all of these or not. They could be completely different.”

“We need a better plan than that. If you’re feeling drained, then sleep. I’ll come up with a plan, and you’ll start training with us tomorrow,” Derek says, decisively.

Derek is in alpha mode now. It makes Stiles smile. “Ok, Mr. Alpha.”

Stiles notices the small smile return to Derek’s lip. Stiles doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it. He’s seen Derek smile before, but this is different. This one makes Stiles embarrassed for some reason.

Derek turns away and starts walking to the door. Stiles is overcome with the urge to ask him to stay. He still doesn’t know how to use his abilities, and will be defenseless when he sleeps. Asking Derek to stay is probably crossing some line, though. He watches as Derek gets closer to the door. He grabs the door handle.

“Derek!” Stiles calls. Derek turns to face him. “Would you,” Stiles starts, but changes his mind halfway through. Derek stares at him, waiting for the question. “I just wanted to say thanks for helping with the research.”

Is that disappointment Stiles sees in Derek’s eyes? He shakes off the thought.

“You’re welcome, Stiles. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Stiles says.

Derek leaves, and Stiles slams his head against his computer desk. He should have asked Derek to stay. Now, he feels alone, and unprotected. He also feels like an idiot. Why is it so hard to even talk in front of Derek now? Feelings are stupid, Stiles thinks to himself. They work their way inside you and just screw everything up.

Stiles really doesn’t want to be alone. So, he picks up his phone and starts dialing.

“Dude, are you ok? What’s up?” Scott asks as he answers the phone.

“I’m fine. Well, not really. Derek just left, and I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Why was Derek still there?”

“He, like you, didn’t think I should be alone. I told him he could stay, but he had to help with the research. He agreed,” Stiles explains.

“If he doesn’t want you to be alone, why did he leave?” Scott asks.

“It’s hard to explain. Can you just come over, please?”

“Yeah. Sure. No problem,” Scott answers. Stiles hears Scott's voice dim, he must be turning away from his phone. “Babe, I’m going over to stay with Stiles. I think he’s scared he’ll get attacked in his sleep or something.” Well, that was definitely meant for Isaac. Stiles cannot hear Isaac's answer though. Scott’s voice comes through loudly again, “Ok, I’m on my way over.”

“Thanks,” Stiles says, clicking off his phone. He decides it’s good to have Scott here instead of Derek. Stiles’ feelings for Scott are definitive. They’re feelings that exist between brothers. He’ll feel safe with Scott here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for the next couple chapters. First, Scott and Stiles talk about Derek. Then, the first training session happens!!!


	7. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's best friend time. Scott and Stiles talk about Isaac and Derek.

Stiles anxiously paces slowly around his bedroom as he waits for Scott to arrive. His body slumps slightly with the need for sleep. As he moves, his mind wonders freely over the last few hours. He remembers how Derek looked in those damned jeans, recalls the moments when they were left staring at each other, and relives the frustration he felt in not asking Derek to stay. Stiles also remembers the look of disappointment Derek showed when he wasn’t asked to stay, or that’s at least what it seemed like at the time. Maybe Stiles had misinterpreted. 

Preoccupied by these thoughts, Stiles hadn’t paid attention to Scott entering the house or climbing up the stairs. So, when Stiles hears the door to his bedroom open, he jumps back in shock.

“Whoa, man. It’s just me,” Scott says quickly.

Stiles grabs his heart with his right hand, his breathing labored. “Oh my god! Give me a heart attack why don’t you?”

“Oh, shut up. You’ll be fine.”

Stiles scoffs, “Yeah. No thanks to you.” He already feels calm spreading through his body, though. He feels safer, less anxious with his best friend here. “I’m really glad you came, Scott.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Scott says, smiling. “How’re you feeling?”

“Oh, you know. I’m still a little tired, but other than that I’m great,” Stiles lies. Confused. Unsure. Contemplative. Any of these would have been more honest answers, but they’re not Scott’s burden to deal with, so he keeps them to himself.

“That shit may have worked on Derek, but it’s not going to fly with me,” Scott replies. Why can’t he be as daft as everyone thinks he is. No, he’s got to be perceptive in times like these. Stiles relents that this is why he likes Scott so much.

“Um…it’s kind of hard to explain exactly. I mean, I don’t really know if anything is going on or if it’s all just in my head. Sometimes, people see what they want to see, and sometimes people see what actually is. I just don’t know which is which right now. So, I don’t think we really need to…”

“Stiles!” Scott interrupts. “Does anyone actually follow your thought process? What are you talking about?”

“Well…I…” he starts.

Stiles doesn’t know how to confess that he may or may not be developing feelings for Derek. He’s sure Scott won’t care. He’s with Isaac. If anyone would understand, it would be Scott. That gives Stiles an idea.

“Scott, how did you know you liked Isaac?” Stiles asks, sitting on his bed.

“I don’t know. We’re talking about you though, Stiles. Wait, do you think you’re into someone? Who is it? Where’d you meet? Why haven’t you told me about this yet?”

Stiles sighs. “Scott, would you just answer my question? Please.”

“I really don’t know if I can explain it to you or not, but I’ll try,” Scott adds as he sees Stiles head drop. He sits next to Stiles on the bed. “You know I’d been mourning Allison for a long time, and Isaac had been recovering from his treatment at the hands of the alphas. One day, I decided to go over and see Isaac. He was damaged; I was damaged. We talked to each other about what we were going through. I told him things that I didn’t even tell you. He talked a lot about how the torture reminded him of his childhood; it was heartbreaking, man. 

After a few weeks of talking, we each started to be a little less miserable. We started living our lives again. We pulled each other back up when one of us started to slip back into depression. 

One day, I don’t know exactly when, I realized that I would be completely and utterly lost if it hadn’t been for Isaac. I realized how essential he had become to my happiness. It wasn’t just that he’d helped me mourn, either. Isaac is an incredible, caring person. He knows how I’m feeling just by looking at me, and I know the same of him. We get each other. We fit together perfecvtly.

It was a little weird at first, because I’d never really thought of myself as bisexual. To be honest, I’m not even sure that I am. I just know that I love Isaac. Life is great with him, and I’m happy. That’s all I need to know.”

Stiles bites the inside of his bottom lip while he listens to the story. It’s hard remembering how Scott was back then: depressed, cold, and closed-off. He never knew how much of a role Isaac played in his recovery, in saving him. It makes Stiles think about his and Derek’s history.

When they’d first met, Derek had been the enemy, or so Stiles had thought. Through the years, though, they’ve each had to rely on each other. When the kanima attacked Derek, Stiles had to keep him afloat for hours in that pool. When the alpha pack attacked, Derek had saved Stiles from the twins. Stiles shivers at the memory. Most recently, Stiles saved Derek from Malachi. They are always endangering themselves to protect each other. There’s really only one reason a person does that for another.

“I’m glad you’re happy, Scott.”

“Thanks, so who is it?”

“Who’s…” Stiles starts to play innocent, but decides he should be as honest as Scott just was. “It’s…man, you’re going to laugh at me.”

“Stiles, I would never hurt you like that. You can’t help who you fall for.”

Stiles drops his forehead into the palms of his hands. He sits like that for at least a minute. If he says this aloud, it makes it true. But, it is true. Stiles turns his head so he can see Scott and admits, “It’s Derek.” Just like that, he feels fifty pounds lighter. He exhales slowly.

“I figured.” 

Of all the things Stiles thought Scott might say, this was not one of them. “What do you mean ‘I figured’?”

“I’ve kind of thought it for a while. You two argue like an old married couple all of the time. You recklessly throw yourselves in harm’s way to help each other. It’s been really noticeable since the other night though, when you jumped in front of Derek and took Malachi’s attack. 

Derek was a wreck in the hospital. The others didn’t notice it as much as I did but, like I said, I’ve been paying attention for a while. He wouldn’t leave your side; even the nurses had to move around him. He held on to your arm and just stared at you. Then, when you passed out here, he did the same thing. He sat right beside you and watched you the entire time. When you woke up, the only one of us you really looked at for any actual amount of time was Derek. It’s not that hard to see that you care for each other.”

Stiles didn’t know that Scott was that perceptive. He also didn’t know any of those things about Derek. Is it possible? Could Derek have feelings for him, too? That’s not something Stiles is willing to think about right now. He doesn’t want to build up false hope.

“Somebody has been paying attention, creeper,” Stiles jokes.

Scott nudges him in the side, “I do pay attention.”

“It was strange being here alone with him today. First off, he just sprawled all over my bed, ass in the air. Not that I particularly minded.” That won a smile from Scott. “Then, there were these times we would just stare at each other before getting back to research because we didn’t have anything else to say. It was kind of awkward. The worst part was at the end, though. I wanted to ask him to stay, but I didn’t want to push something that wasn’t there. But, he looked…disappointed that I didn’t ask him to. I don’t know how you do it, having feelings for someone sucks sometimes.”

“Dude, I just told you he has feelings for you, too.” Fuck. Stiles can’t believe Scott just said that out loud after he had just convinced himself not to have hope.

“You can’t know that Scott, and I can’t think it if it isn’t true. It would hurt too much.” Stiles answers, unguarded.

Scott stretches an arm around Stiles and rests his head against Stiles’. “Stiles, you’re not going to know unless you talk to him about it. It’s going to eat you up inside if you don’t do something about it.”

“I know.”

“I know you do. You look exhausted. Ready to get some sleep?”

Stiles just nods his response. 

So, if Scott has as good of a read on Derek as he does on Stiles, then Derek could have feelings for Stiles. Stiles hates how happy that idea makes him. Stiles will have to talk to Derek to know for sure, though, and that idea freaks Stiles out. If Derek doesn’t have feelings for him, it’ll make things really awkward. He decides it’s best to just keep it a secret for now. He’ll tell him when this whole business with Malachi is over. Yeah, that’s a good plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is going to be so much longer than I initially thought (10,000 words).


	8. A Series of Tests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Stiles to explore his powers.

The loud grumbling of a grizzly bear startles Stiles awake. He looks at his alarm clock, and can’t believe that he and Scott have slept until noon. His body feels completely rested and rejuvenated though.

Stiles elbows Scott in the side. “Dude, wake up. You’re going to make my house cave in with your snoring.”

“S’happening?” Scott mumbles half-asleep, contorting his arms behind his head as he stretches out the last remnants of sleep.

“It’s noon already. We have to be at training by 1:00, or Derek will be all pissy.”

“We’re not Derek’s pack; he can’t control us, bud.” Scott smirks at the thought.

Stiles closes his eyes and exhales, “Ok. I just…is it so bad that I want to see Derek? I mean, I’m not going to push anything right now, but I like how it feels being around him. So, can we get up and go?” Stiles doesn’t understand how he can be so excited and anxious at the same time, but he knows that he wants to be around Derek.

Scott chuckles. “That’s adorable.”

The blush that spreads across Stiles’ face can’t be prevented. “Shut up. Let’s go,” Stiles urges, pushing Scott out of the bed.

They dress quickly and head downstairs. Stiles cooks up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, but can’t eat anything himself. He’s anxious about seeing Derek after his realizations from last night. He’s also nervous about the training itself. Stiles has never really been able to participate in the trainings before. Scott, however, starts scarfing down food like he hasn’t eaten in days.

Through a mouthful of food, Scott says, “You really should eat something. You’ll tire out too quickly if you don’t.”

Stiles must admit that Scott presents a valid point, but it doesn’t change his appetite. “It’s better to tire quickly than blow chunks over everyone, right? My stomach has been turning since we decided to leave. I don’t know what to expect; I’ve never done this before.”

“You’ll do fine. It’s really just about seeing what you can do today.”

“I guess so.”

After Scott is done eating, Stiles and Scott head to the jeep. Stiles had initially planned on driving to their normal training grounds in the graveyard, but Scott informs him that Derek changed the venue while Stiles was passed out. Scott and Derek agree that Malachi is too likely to send betas to the graveyard again. So, Stiles drives toward the abandoned warehouse where Jackson transformed from the kanima into a werewolf. 

Stiles’ nerves build as they pull into the warehouse. All of Derek’s pack is there, seemingly waiting for them. Stiles doesn’t want everyone watching him while he’s exploring his powers. That’ll be embarrassing. 

As he steps out of the jeep, all eyes are on Stiles. “Do I have something in my teeth, guys?” Stiles jokes to make himself feel better. He gets a chuckle from Lydia—who he notices is hidden behind Jackson and Danny—but everyone else remains silent. He decides it’s best to just talk directly to Derek. “So, uh…what’s the plan?”

“Well, I sort of set up these tests so we can see which of the abilities we found are actually true. Are you up for that?” Derek asks.

“It seems simple enough,” Stiles answers. “Are we all just going to sit here and watch me?”

“No. I thought Isaac and Scott could teach some techniques to Jackson and Danny on how to fight off multiple attackers. Scott and Isaac did well with that in the graveyard,” Derek explains. “I figured you and I could work together on discovering your abilities.” Stiles heart skips a beat, taking that sentence totally out of context.

Stiles coughs. “Yeah, that sounds like a much better plan.”

“Let’s get started then,” Derek orders. 

Scott and Isaac lead Jackson and Danny into another room of the warehouse leaving Derek, Stiles, and Lydia together. Stiles doesn’t know if he wants her to stay or leave. The thought of being alone with Derek is both terrifying and tantalizing. His worse judgment wins out, and he asks, “Lydia, would you mind watching your boyfriend instead of me; it’s kind of nerve-wracking to have an audience.”

She gives him an all-too-knowing look and replies, “Oh, I’m sure it’s the audience of one that’s making you so anxious.” She smiles as she follows after the others, leaving Stiles and Derek alone.

“Hey, there’s nothing to be nervous about Stiles. We’re just figuring out what you can and can’t do,” Derek says. This doesn’t really help Stiles at all. He just nods. “Well, one of the things we read was that you could have superior strength. So, I set up these weights over here. It’s about 300 pounds, which should be far too much for you.” Stiles is only mildly offended, because it’s true. “Why don’t you see if you can lift them.”

Stiles walks over to the weightlifting bar—which is so full with weights that Stiles is reminded of a strong man’s act from the circus—and gets himself into position. He spreads his legs, shoulder width apart, and bends down grabbing the bar. He pulls up as hard as he can, but barely inches it off of the ground. His second attempt ends with the same results.

“I think we can rule this one out, Derek,” Stiles says.

“I can see that. Well, we know that you have some sort of telekinetic power, why don’t you try moving the weights that way. I mean, if you can throw two grown wolves across the yard, this should be a piece of cake.”

Stiles shrugs. He extends his right arm out in front of his body. He spreads all of his fingers apart and points his hand toward the weights. His mind is fully focused on raising them off of the ground. Stiles starts to get frustrated as nothing happens. He stands there for a full minute, straining his focus with no results.

“Damnit!” Stiles shouts. “It’s not working.”

Confusion spreads across Derek’s face. “I don’t know what to tell you Stiles. A werewolf’s abilities are mostly instinctual, so it’s just about honing them. Why don’t we try that other power, the teleporting one?”

“I don’t see how that’s going to work, but whatever. I’ll give it a try. Where should I try to go?” Stiles asks.

Derek points to a hula-hoop in the back corner of the room. “I put a few of those around the warehouse; I figured they would give us an idea on how exact your teleporting is.”

“Translocating,” Stiles corrects. “That’s actually a really good idea.”

“Thanks. Give it a try!”

Once again, Stiles musters as much focus as he can. He visualizes himself in the blue hula-hoop, and then clenches his eyes shut. When he opens his eyes, he hasn’t moved.

“Damnit!” It’s Derek that shouts this time. Stiles drops his head, hating to disappoint Derek. He feels his stomach getting uneasy.

Derek walks close to Stiles and places a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” he says. Stiles won’t look at him. “Hey. Look at me,” Derek orders, softly. Stiles can’t resist this softer side of Derek; he looks up into green eyes that must be staring right into Stiles’ soul. “I’m not upset with you. I’m just frustrated that I can’t help, ok?”

It’s silly how quickly Stiles’ stomach goes from uneasy to being filled with butterflys—or maybe humming birds by the size of them—when Derek talks to him like this. “Ok. I just wish I could do better. I wish I could control it. I can’t help anyone if I can’t control it. I just don’t know where to start though.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Lydia startles Stiles and Derek as she walks into the room. “When Stiles powers worked before, we were being attacked. If his powers are truly instinctual, then maybe some actual combat training would work better to start.”

Stiles stopped being surprised by Lydia’s intelligence a long time ago. This was a perfect answer. “Derek, I think she might be right. When we were attacked, my body kind of just reacted of its own accord. Maybe you should try attacking me.”

“Yeah...I’m not going to do that,” Derek responds. Stiles smiles at that thought that Derek refuses to harm him.

“I will,” Jackson says from out of nowhere, shocking the three of them.

Jackson sprints toward Stiles. Stiles can feel the same tingling sensation he had outside of his house start its way through his body, but Jackson plows into him before his body can react. Stiles lands awkwardly on his own arm and a clear breaking sound can be heard echoing throughout the room of the empty warehouse. Stiles cries out in pain, which causes Derek to run after Jackson. Stiles looks down at his right arm and can see part of his radius bone has broken through the skin of his forearm. Fuck, that hurts.

His attention is distracted by Jackson and Derek jumping at each other, claws extended. The tingling sensation in Stiles body is stronger now. “Stop!” he shouts, shoving out his uninjured arm. Derek and Jackson become immobilized in mid-air; Stiles doesn’t see a white aura, though. Danny, Isaac, and Scott rush into the room and are clearly shocked by the scene before them. 

Stiles feels a burning sensation in his right forearm, so he checks it out. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it. The bone is sinking back inside his arm, and the skin was resealing itself. The pain was diminishing rapidly, and he begins to open and close his fist, stretching out the muscles in his forearm. He is fully healed.

He returns his focus to Jackson and Derek. “I’m going to try and let you go, now. When I do, I’d really prefer it if you could not attack each other. Thank you.” He slowly lowers his left arm, and the two wolves fall just as slowly to the ground. When they reach the floor, Stiles breaks the connection. Both are free to move again and stand on their feet. Everyone turns to face Stiles now.

“Um, what just happened?” Scott asks.

“I think we just found Stiles’ trigger,” Lydia answers. 

“Yeah, werewolf stupidity,” Stiles adds, staring down Jackson.

“That’s not it, Stiles. When Jackson attacked you, nothing happened. As soon as he attacked Derek, you started glowing again and your powers worked,” Lydia explains. “You see, protecting people is your trigger. You protected me from Malachi’s betas and Derek from Jackson.”

“I don’t need protection from one of my own betas, Lydia,” Derek manages to say through clenched teeth.

“I know that, but Stiles is instinctively protective. Also, I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but his broken arm is healed, too,” Lydia points out.

“Really?” Scott asks in awe.

“Uh huh. It doesn’t even hurt anymore,” Stiles adds.

“That’s totally badass,” Danny offers.

“Thanks. I have a question, though,” Stiles says. “Is Lydia the only one that saw my aura?” Everyone shakes their heads ‘no’. “That’s strange, because I don’t see one. Neither Derek nor Jackson were veiled in white light from my point of view. Must just be an angel thing.”

“That is strange, but I don’t think it really matters,” Derek says. “The important thing is that we found your trigger: protection. We just have to train your body to want to protect itself as well as others, I think.”

“Well, it sort of did,” Stiles admits.

“What do you mean?” Derek asks.

“When Jackson rushed at me, I started to feel that tingling sensation I told you about. It wasn’t strong though,” he explains. “It didn’t feel strong until you two jumped at each other. Then, it was easy to control my powers.”

“Is the sensation still there, Stiles?” Isaac asks.

Stiles considers this for a moment. It’s definitely not as strong as it was a few moments ago, but he thinks he feels a slight echo of it. “Barely, but it’s there.” 

“You should do the tests again, man,” Scott suggests to general agreement.

Stiles walks over to the weights, and lifts them this time. It isn’t necessarily easy, but he shouldn’t be able to do it at all. He smiles.

Derek looks at him and says, “You’re glowing, Stiles.” Stiles watches as that unique little smile spreads across Derek’s face. It’s the same one he saw in his bedroom. The butterflies return to Stile’s stomach.

Trying not to lose control, Stiles shifts his attention back to the weights that he is still holding above his head. He opens his hands, holding the weights in his palms. He wills the weights higher above his head, and they rise telekinetically toward the rafters. He throws his hands toward the far wall of the room, and the weights slam into them, dropping to the floor.

“Holy shit, man!” Scott shouts. “That’s awesome!” Stiles smiles.

Derek asks, “Do you think you can try the translocating thing?”

Stiles can feel the energy leaving his body, but decides he may as well go for it. He looks over to the hula-hoop, taking a mental picture. He closes his eyes and focuses on that picture. Stiles urges his body to be in the circle. He feels a calm warmth spread through his body and then slowly dissipate. When he opens his eyes, he hasn’t moved.

“I guess not,” Stiles says, disappointed.

“Actually,” Lydia starts, “you sort of shifted out of alignment for a few seconds, and then refocused. I think you might be able to do it with more practice.”

A small smile starts to spread over Stiles’ face. “We’ll see. I think I’m ready to go home now, though. I’m exhausted.”

“I think that’s good enough for today,” Derek agrees. 

Stiles takes a step toward his car. He immediately feels all of the energy leave his body. His balance is lost and he starts to fall over. Derek catches his shoulders tightly and holds him upright, steadying him. “You ok?” Derek asks.

When Stiles talks, his voice is barely louder than a whisper. “I have no idea, but I can’t really move. Walk a guy to his jeep?” Stiles asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“After all you did today, I think I can handle that,” Derek replies, smiling once again. It’s a good thing Stiles’ body isn’t working right now. He doesn’t need anyone knowing that that smile makes him weak in the knees.

Derek leads Stiles to the jeep and helps him into his seat. “You going to be ok tonight?” 

“As long as Scott doesn’t wreck my baby, I think I’ll make it,” Stiles answers. “Thanks.” 

Derek just nods in response and shoves his hands in his pockets. “If you need anything, you know you can call, right? Scott’s not the only one who’s willing to st…to be there for you.” Derek lowers his gaze slightly, clearly uncomfortable.

Stiles hasn’t seen this Derek before. Derek doesn’t walk people to their cars. He doesn’t take care of people. He isn’t sweet. Stiles wishes Derek would stop doing things that make him think there’s a chance for reciprocated feelings here. It’s just not fair. And, holy shit. Did Derek just about slip and say he’d be willing to ‘stay’ with Stiles? No. Stiles wouldn’t let himself think that.

“Thanks, Derek.”

Derek closes the door to the jeep and walks away. Stiles does not watch him walk away; that would be creepy. Scott climbs into the driver’s seat, and Stiles hands him the keys. They start the drive back to the Stilinski house. Stiles allows himself to think about what happened today. He thinks about how it felt when he was in control of his powers. It felt great. He felt powerful. He felt safe. Safe is good. He thinks about Derek, too. He likes the version of Derek he got to see today. Stiles hopes to see that Derek more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in the process of re-outlining a few upcoming chapters, so I may not post a chapter until Saturday. I will try my best to get one out on Friday, but I make no promises. Sorry!


	9. Sleeping the Day Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Scott and Stiles interaction and more Sterek.

Derek is surprisingly gentle as he slides a hand down the small of Stiles’ back, letting a finger drag along waistband of Stiles’ briefs. His contact is rewarded with a sharp intake of breath as Stiles jerks forward, closing the gap between their bodies. Derek’s other hand snakes its way through Stiles’ unkempt hair, leaving Stiles immobilized. 

Stiles can feel Derek’s warm breath against his face as green eyes search brown for a sign that this is all ok. Derek pulls Stiles’ head down slightly and places a soft kiss to his forehead. Stiles closes his eyes, enjoying the gesture. Derek’s hand slowly starts moving. He traces Stiles’ jaw line with this thumb until it rests at his chin. Inching Stiles face up, Derek places another kiss between Stiles’ closed eyes. His lips trace the contour of Stiles’ bridge as he lifts Stiles’ face to kiss his nose. 

Stiles can’t help the trembling that consumes his entire body. He’s about to have his first kiss. He can feel the tentative hesitation as Derek’s lips move from the tip of his nose. Stiles tilts his head slightly to the left. He hopes Derek takes this as a sign that this is all perfectly acceptable with him. Stiles can feel the warmth of Derek’s breath inch closer to his mouth.

“DUDE! Wake up!” Scott shouts, interrupting Stiles’ dream. “Gross.”

“Hmmm?” is all Stiles can manage as he wakes up. He doesn’t remember getting into bed or falling asleep. Actually, he doesn’t remember most of the ride home.

“I can’t take any more of your moaning, and I’m really not in the mood to go camping.” Scott answers.

“Camping?”

“Yeah. You’ve been pitching a tent for the last five minutes.” Scott nods toward a noticeable rise in the sheets.

Stiles blushes slightly. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, man. You can’t help what you dream about, right? It’s just not something I want to see from a guy who’s basically my brother.”

Stiles shrugs, scooting up into a seated position on his bed. He pulls the blankets into a heap in his lap, hiding his erection. He looks out his window and notices it’s dark outside. It couldn’t have been 3:00 in the afternoon when they left the training session.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“I don’t know. Nine or ten hours maybe?”

“WHAT?!” Stiles exclaims. “I only passed out for like two hours the first time!”

“I’ve been thinking about that while you were passed out. The first time, you only used your powers for a few seconds, right?” Stiles nods, so Scott continues. “Well, earlier today, you were on for quite a bit longer and you used some major power. Maybe it’s a proportional thing.”

“I felt so strong today though. It didn’t feel like I was wasting any energy at all,” Stiles explains. “The only thing that felt draining was the translocating.”

“I don’t know, man.”

“Hmmm. It’s strange,” Stiles says, perplexed. He feels fine now, though. The sleep has done its job rejuvenating him. “Wait, have you been up this whole time?”

Scott shrugs. “I was worried and, for your information, so was Derek.” Scott adds with an eyeroll.

“Really? How do you know?”

“Well, he’s only called every 30 minutes or so to see if you’re awake yet. In fact, I should be getting a call any second. It’s really annoying…and kind of sweet, I guess,” Scott admits.

Stiles blushes again. “Maybe he does care a little bit.” He remembers Derek catching him, and walking him to his car. Although he was too exhausted to recognize it at the time, Stiles is sure there was genuine worry in Derek’s face. Damn it all to hell. He’s starting to have hope after all.

“I don’t know why you’re being so pig-headed about this. I’m telling you he’s into you. How often have you seen Derek Hale act the way he did earlier today?”

“I don’t know, Scott. Some of the things he’s done recently make me think that maybe—and that’s a strong maybe—he has feelings for me, but there are a lot of unknown variables, too. Anyways, we don’t need to be distracted right now with Malachi on the loose.” Stiles tries to convince himself these things are true as he says them. Unnecessary distraction. Unknown variables. These things aren’t worth getting hurt over right now.

Scott’s cell phone starts ringing. “Twenty bucks says it’s Derek,” he says tossing the phone to Stiles. “You talk to him this time.”

Stiles strongly considers kicking Scott, but answers anyway. “Hello?”

“Stiles? You’re awake?” Stiles’ imagination must be running wild, because Derek seems extremely happy as he speaks.

“No. I’m still sound asleep,” Stiles jokes.

Derek laughs. Wow, is that a great sound. Stiles makes a mental note to make Derek laugh more. “Smartass. How do you feel?”

“I feel fine actually. It took a while, though.”

“I know. I think we should wait a couple days before training again. I don’t want you overworking yourself,” Derek says, and Stiles thinks he sounds concerned.

“No. I want to train. That’s the only way I’m going to learn to beat this fatigue. Malachi could attack at any time, and I want to be ready.”

“Stiles, I…I…I don’t know what to say. It’s your decision, obviously, but no one will be upset if you want to take a few days. Scott hasn’t slept; I haven’t slept. Why don’t we take a day to rest?”

Stiles really wants to start right back into the training, but he sees the logic in Derek’s suggestion. It’s definitely not just because Derek suggests it. It’s not. “Ok. I don’t see how one day could hurt. Could you do me a favor though?”

“Anything.” Derek responds so quickly and intensely that Stiles is caught off guard. He believes Derek.

“If we’re not training, can we at least have Jackson reach out to some of his contacts and see if they’ve noticed any movements of Malachi’s pack? We haven’t seen any of them since they attacked Lydia and me. I think it’s a good idea to try and find out what they’re up to.”

“I think that’s a perfect idea.”

“Thanks, Derek.” 

Stiles and Derek stay on the phone without saying anything. Stiles can hear Derek breathing, though, and it has a calming effect on him. He wants to say something, but he doesn’t know what to say. 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you after tomorrow, Stiles,” Derek says.

“Yeah. See you,” he answers. He shakes his head in confusion as he ends the phone call. “God, I’m hooked.”

“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Scott teases. 

“Shouldn’t you be going to bed now?” 

“Actually, yeah. Do you need me to stay here?” Scott asks.

“No. You deserve a night with Isaac.”

“Hell yes, I do!” Scott says, smile stretching full across his face. “I’ll check on you tomorrow, though. Ok?”

“Ok.”

Scott walks out of the door, and Stiles rests his head against the wall. Stiles’ mind drifts back to his dream from earlier. God, he wants that so badly. He’s been comfortable on his own but, now, he craves contact with Derek. He wants the physical intimacy he’s never had before. He wants to hold and be held. He wants to kiss and be kissed. He wants…

Stiles feels himself getting hard. He pushes the blankets off of him and slips off his briefs quickly. He grabs his hardening erection and gives it a few strokes, bringing it to its full length. Reaching into his bedside table, he pulls out a small bottle of lube. He squirts a line of lube from the base of his cock all of the way to the tip. He tosses the bottle of lube back into its drawer. 

Stiles grips his cock with his right hand. He works the lube around slowly. Focusing on the kisses and closeness from his dream, he starts stroking himself slowly. Up and down. He squeezes himself tighter, stroking himself slightly faster. He can’t help the moan that escapes his lips. God, he needs this. He remembers Derek spread out on his bed, ass in the air. Fuck. He’s not going to last much longer. He strengthens his strokes and feels the tell-tale buildup of pressure. He bites his bottom lip as he cums all over his own stomach. 

As his breathing slows down, his whole body relaxes into his bed. Yeah, he definitely needed that. He allows himself to enjoy the calm for a minute before getting up and heading for his shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting for this one! I should have at least one chapter to add tomorrow, maybe two depending on how much time I have after work tonight/before work tomorrow. Thank you for all of the comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks!


	10. The Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has a chat with the sheriff. The pack finds out what Malachi is up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this a long chapter instead of two separate ones. The second part wouldn't have been long enough to be its own chapter anyway.

Stiles wakes early the next morning feeling more energetic than he has felt in years. He grabs is cell phone from his bedside table and checks to see if he has any messages. He doesn’t. Climbing out of his bed, Stiles walks over to his computer. His email inbox is also empty.

Knowing that Jackson hasn’t had enough time to discover anything about Malachi, Stiles gives up his search for news from his friends and heads downstairs to make himself some breakfast. He has the whole day off, so he decides to make breakfast a special affair. He’ll take some over to the police station for his dad.

The breakfast should be delicious. He makes homemade biscuits, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns. Stiles wouldn’t normally let his father eat this unhealthily, but he doesn’t the sheriff to be in the best of moods after the whole hospital “prank”.

As he walks into the station, the petite, brunette officer at the desk offers Stiles a warm smile. “We haven’t seen you in here in ages, Stiles! How’ve you been?”

“Well, you know. Life always has its good and bad moments,” he answers. “Is my dad in his office?”

“He just got back from an early call,” the officer explains. “If that breakfast tastes as good as it smells, he’ll be thrilled you stopped by.” Stiles winks at her as he hands her a sausage biscuit he had thrown together at the last minute. He knows how to keep in good graces with the officers. “Thank you!”

Stiles walks around the desk and enters the sheriff’s office. “Hey, Dad. I hear you had a call before you had a chance to eat. Luckily, I come bearing breakfast!”

“It smells delicious, Stiles, but it’s not going to make up for the incident at the hospital,” the sheriff says, knowingly.

“Now, can’t a son just bring his father a delicious, greasy breakfast to show how thankful he is for such a wonderful, loving, caring…”

“Not from you,” the sheriff cuts him off. “Although, I do appreciate the thought. Look, Stiles, you’re an adult now. I can’t ground you. I can’t take your jeep. I’m just severely disappointed that you would try to prank a hospital of all places. What if someone’s life had needed saving that night and the doctor was busy with you?”

Disappointment. It’s the word parents use when they really want to make their child feel like the smallest person in the world. Stiles hates the word. It always makes his gut feel horrific. He didn’t even do anything this time and it still sucks. “Dad…I just…it was just supposed to be a funny little trick on Melissa. We didn’t know one of the young nurses would overreact. I know it was stupid. You don’t have to worry about it ever happening again.”

“Melissa McCall would have kicked your ass if you pulled that shit on her, and I would have let her,” the sheriff responds. A small smile spreads across his face, though.

Stiles imagines the idea of pulling a prank on Melissa. He shudders. His own smile forms as he says, “yeah, I guess we got off easy this time.”

The Stilinskis eat their breakfast in silence, which is strange for them. Normally, Stiles is speaking around each bite of food about every little thing that goes on in Beacon Hills. Well, not everything. Somehow, they’ve managed to keep the sheriff in the dark about all of the werewolves in town. It would make his job harder if he knew the truth. Today, though, Stiles joins his dad in silence.

“What’s on your mind, Stiles?” the sheriff asks after he takes his last bite of food.

Stiles is busy twisting his fingers together into weird shapes. “Hmmm?”

“Stiles, you haven’t said a word since we started eating. You’re going to give yourself arthritis! Something is on your mind. What is it?”

Honestly, Stiles did not come to the police station today with any type of motive or purpose. He was bored and thought he’d have breakfast with his father. Ok, he admits to himself. Maybe he subconsciously had a reason to be there. He stares at his intertwining hands and starts to speak, “you remember a few years ago when you caught Scott and I at that gay bar?”

“Mmmhmmm,” the sheriff answers.

“Remember how I said there was a conversation we needed to have and you just kind of brushed it off?” This time the sheriff just nods. “Well, what would it have been like if I pushed that conversation? What would you have said if I told you I was gay then?”

The sheriff tilts his head slightly, considering these questions. Stiles grips at his own fingers tighter now, hanging on to every word his dad says. His leg starts bouncing restlessly. “I guess I would have said I was happy you felt comfortable enough to tell me.” Stiles smiles. “I would have said I didn’t see it coming.” Stiles closes his eyes. “And, I would have said that I love you.”

A single tear escapes the corner of Stiles’ eye and falls from his cheek onto his hand. “Dad.”

“Yes, son.”

Stiles lifts his head to look his dad in the eyes. He takes a slow, deep breath, releases it, and says, “I have feelings for another guy.”

The sheriff smiles. “Thank you for telling me. I’m actually not that surprised. I love you.”

The nervous energy starts leaving Stiles’ body. He’s breathing more comfortably. He notices what the sheriff said. “What? You said you would have been surprised,” Stiles points out.

“I would have been if you had told me back then. Now,” he shrugs, “not so much. So, you’re gay. What’s the big deal?”

“I’m not sure that I’m gay, Dad. I think I’m just…Dereksexual.” Stiles can’t think of a better way to explain it.

“Derek?” The sheriff raises an eyebrow.

“Mmmhmmm.”

“Derek Hale?”

“That’s the one,” Stiles answers.

“Is he even into men?” the sheriff asks, fairly.

“Scott seems to think he’s into me; I’m not sure.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“Of course I’ve talked to Scott about it,” Stiles answers matter-of-factly.

“Not Scott. Derek. Have you talked to Derek about it?” This is not at all how Stiles thought this conversation would go.

“Have I…? Uh…no, I have not. And, I’m not going to either. Have YOU been talking to Scott? Because it seems to me like you two are scheming. Talk to Derek. Pfft.” Stiles laughs a little at the thought. Doesn’t anyone understand how frightening it would be to talk to Derek about this?

“Do or don’t, Stiles; that’s your choice. But, it’s ok to go after the things you want. It’s ok to let yourself be happy every now and then.”

Stiles is about to answer when the desk officer comes into the room. “Sheriff, they need you downtown. They’ve found a body; looks like it’s been attacked by some animal.” The sheriff nods and the officer leaves the room.

“Thanks for the breakfast, kiddo. I’ll see you at home later.”

Stiles gets up and starts to leave the office. Before he gets to the door, the sheriff calls his name.

“Stiles,” the sheriff says. Stiles turns around, eyebrows raised. “Does this mean you’ll finally develop a sense of style?”

Jaw dropping to the floor, Stiles stares at his father. “Oh my god.” He starts walking out the door again.

“Stiles,” he hears again behind him.

“What?” Stiles asks, turning around once more.

“I love you.”

Smiling, Stiles responds, “I love you, too, Dad.”

\---

The blue jeep turns onto the street where Scott lives. Stiles wants to tell Scott about the conversation he just had with his dad. Scott was going to check on him today anyway, so he may as well just stop over while he’s out. As Stiles parks in front of the house, his cell phone goes off.

His heart skips a beat when he sees that Derek is calling him. “Hey!” Stiles answers, a little too-excitedly. Fuck. Calm down.

Derek’s voice is serious as he responds. “Stiles, it’s good that you thought of checking up on Malachi. Jackson was able to find out some information fairly quickly. It’s not good.”

“What’s going on, Derek?” Stiles asks, alarmed.

“Malachi is trying to regrow his pack. We’ve managed to take out a lot of his wolves. He wants…” Derek hesitates. “He wants to be stronger.”

“Where did he find a pack around here to get more wolves?” Stiles asks. “I thought we were the only pack around here.”

“That’s the thing, Stiles. He’s not getting the wolves from packs. He’s just turning people.”

That explains the sheriff’s call after their conversation. “Well, he’s being extremely reckless, and some of the bites aren’t taking.” Stiles explains about the animal attack.

“He’s in a hurry because…” Derek hesitates again. “He’s clearly in a hurry.”

Stiles knows that Derek never beats around the bush when something like this is going on. Derek is holding back, though. “Derek, you’re hesitating. What aren’t you telling me?”

“Think about it, Stiles. For a month before the graveyard attack, we’d been fighting with Malachi and his pack. We killed plenty of them before the night in the graveyard, and we killed more that night as well. Neither time led to him creating more wolves. But, now, things have changed. Two of his betas were manhandled by”

“Me,” Stiles finishes.

“Stiles, listen to me. You’ve got to watch out for yourself. Are you alone?”

“No, I just pulled up at Scott’s. He and Isaac are here.”

“Go inside, and don’t leave. I’m on my way now. Jackson and Danny will be back soon, too,” Derek adds. “We need to come up with a plan. We can’t allow him to keep changing innocent people.”

“Agreed. I’ll let Scott and Isaac know what’s going on.”

“Ok, I’ll be there as quick as I can,” Derek promises.

As he is about to hang up, Stiles stomach sinks. “Shit. Derek, you have to pick up Lydia on your way here. Malachi knows she’s with us. She can’t protect herself, Derek.”

“I’ll get her, Stiles. Don’t worry. You need to go talk to Scott and Isaac now.”

“Alright. Hurry!” Stiles urges, hanging up.

Stiles gets out of his jeep and rushes to the front door. He walks in and heads straight for Scott’s bedroom. As he turns the handle to Scott’s bedroom door, he really hopes Scott and Isaac are descent. He looks over at the bed to see Scott and Isaac staring at him, taken by surprise. 

“Can you knock?” Scott asks. “If you’d had walked in thirty seconds ago…”

“Dude, there’s no time for that.” Stiles quickly explains the situation. Scott and Isaac listen carefully to everything he tells them. They seem like they’re about to respond when Stiles’ phone rings again. It’s Derek.

“What now?” Stiles asks.

“Stiles, they have Lydia,” Derek answers.


	11. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles makes three discoveries. Two concern his powers. One concerns Derek.

A tangible anxiety fills the McCall’s living room as Stiles, Scott, and Isaac wait for Derek to arrive. Scott and Isaac are sitting on the couch, resting their heads against each other. Scott’s left foot is tapping a rapid rhythm into the carpet. Isaac bites his bottom lip as he rubs small circles into Scott’s back. In front of them, Stiles paces quickly. His arms are wrapped tightly around himself, sheltering him from the pain he feels for his missing friend. 

Stiles’ brain runs through a multitude of scenarios as he walks a path into the carpet below his feet. Malachi has probably tried turning Lydia. He doesn’t know that she’s immune. What will he do to her once he realizes? Stiles hopes that he isn’t torturing her. It’s likely that Malachi thinks she knows what’s going on with Stiles. Knowing Lydia, she’ll endure it to protect her friend. He could just be holding her as a trap. He knows Stiles and the wolves will come looking for her. Then again, maybe he’s just sadistic. 

The sound of the door opening distracts Stiles. He’s not surprised to see Derek walk into the living room. He is surprised by the rush of anger he feels. Stiles rushes across the room, fists clenched, and starts punching Derek. Derek does nothing to stop this sudden attack.

“You. Said. You’d. Get. To. Her,” Stiles accuses, accentuating each word with a punch.

“Stiles, it’s not his fault,” Scott tries to reason with him.

“He’s right, Scott,” Derek says, still making no effort to protect himself. “I’m the alpha; it’s my job to protect everyone.”

The pain in Derek’s voice awakens something in Stiles. He realizes how displaced his anger is; it’s not Derek’s fault. Derek couldn’t have stopped Malachi anyway. The anger was just a mask for his own anxiety, his own fear, his own sadness.

Stiles stops punching Derek, resting his fists against Derek’s chest. “No. Scott’s right. There’s nothing any of us could have done. I just…don’t know what…what to do next,” Stiles chokes through these last words. 

Stiles isn’t prepared for what happens next. Derek slowly stretches his right arm around Stiles. Tentatively, he places his hand on Stiles right shoulder and pats lightly. He figures if Derek is breaking the distance between them, he should go ahead and make the most of it. Stiles drops his forehead onto Derek’s shoulder, and wraps his arms slowly around Derek’s lower back. Derek rests the side of his head on the top of Stiles and slides his left arm around Stiles as well. 

“We’ll find her Stiles,” Derek comforts. “I promise.” Stiles nods into Derek’s shoulder.

It’s amazing how comfortable this feels, Stiles thinks. He’s been so preoccupied with the likelihood of being rejected that he never took the time to imagine how it would be to have his feelings returned. Being comforted like this, Stiles doesn’t doubt that, on some level, Derek cares for him. Stiles doesn’t know how deeply or how strongly, but he knows Derek definitely cares. The realization warms Stiles’ entire body; now, he’s smiling into Derek’s shoulder.

They must stand like this for a while, because Scott interrupts them with a clearing of his throat, “Ahem.”

Stiles lifts his head and turns to face Scott. He wants to keep hold of Derek but, at the same time, he doesn’t want to push too far. He decides to go sit on the love seat. Derek follows him. Derek looks from the empty seat to Stiles as if to ask, “may I sit there?” Stiles nods to Derek who takes the seat by his side. They don’t sit as close as Scott and Isaac, but they are closer than two friends would be.

Isaac is the first to speak, “Well, where do we start guys?”

Stiles has to admit, that’s a good question. They have no idea where Malachi’s base of operations is. Every run-in they’ve had with Malachi has been in the woods, normally being on the receiving end of an attack.

“Derek, what did Lydia’s apartment look like?” Scott asks.

“Well, for one, the door handle was broken. That’s how I knew something was up. Once I went inside, there was no question the place had been ransacked. Nothing was in its right place. A few of the walls were covered in scratches. That’s about it,” Derek explains.

“How are we going to find Malachi’s hideout? I mean, let’s be honest, we have nothing to go on,” Isaac says.

“We can’t just sit here doing nothing,” Scott offers. “We know he’s turning people in the city, so he can’t be too far away. We’ll canvas the city and see what we come up with.”

“For all we know, they’re on the move. Plus, we don’t have enough manpower to canvas the entire city, Scott,” Derek responds. “We have to come up with a better option.”

“I’m all ears, Derek,” Scott retorts.

“Maybe, if we got the sheriff and the police force on board, we would be able to make your idea work,” Derek admits.

“Well, I don’t think we should put them at risk. You couldn’t even fight off Malachi; why would we want to endanger them?” Scott asks.

Stiles listens to Scott and Derek as they bicker back and forth. Since Derek described the scene at Lydia’s, anger has been building up within Stiles. The more Scott and Derek argue, the angrier he becomes. As his anger grows, he also feels the tell-tale tingling spread through his body. 

Stiles’ body begins to shake as though the entire room has grown ice cold. His eyes clench shut and his head drops down. Somewhere, far away, he can feel Derek’s hand touching his shoulder, checking to see if he’s ok. However, he can’t make himself respond.

An image starts to appear in Stiles’ mind. It begins as a bright dot, but expands outward into a larger bubble. Although the image is cloudy, Stiles can make out what’s going on inside. A woman sits in an armchair, arms tied down and mouth gagged. As Stiles focuses on the woman, he realizes it’s Lydia. Other than the binding, Stiles can see no physical evidence of harm. 

Two men guard a door to the small room. Stiles assumes they are Malachi’s betas. He wishes he could see beyond the door, because nothing in this room reveals a location. On command, the image in his mind moves. He passes directly through the door into a hallway. He urges his way forward until he exits the house. The number on the door says 480.

The image starts to close in on itself, swiftly blacking itself out. Stiles inhales deeply as his eyes open. His body is still trembling slightly, but his power has gone.

“What happened?” Scott and Isaac blurt out together.

“Are you ok?” Derek asks, leaning forward to have a better view of Stiles’ face. His hand still rests on Stiles’ shoulder.

“Whoa!” is all Stiles manages. After a few moments to catch his breath, he looks directly into Derek’s green eyes and assures him, “I’m fine. I was just overtaken by my powers for a few seconds.”

“We got that, dude,” Scott says. “Remember, you glow when that happens.”

Stiles laughs, “Yeah, I never see the glow.”

“Stiles, nothing happened,” Derek informs. “You powered up, but nothing happened.”

“I think I had a vision,” Stiles answers. Scott, Isaac, and Derek stare at him blankly.

“Like a premonition?” Isaac asks.

Stiles considers this for a moment. “No. Premonitions are about the future, right? I can’t explain it exactly, but I just had a feeling that I was seeing something happening now. You know, just in a different place.”

Derek nods. “What did you see?”

“Lydia. She’s tied up and gagged in some house. It doesn’t look like she’s been harmed yet, but the vision was cloudy. There were two wolves guarding the door. The number on the outside of the house was 480. There are only ten or so neighborhoods that have that many lots,” Stiles explains. “That definitely narrows down the search considerably. I really think we should move quickly, though. Who knows how long they’ll wait before they start hurting her? I won’t be able to stand it if they hurt her. I mean…”

“Shhhhh.” Derek grips Stiles’ shoulder tightly. “We’ll move as fast as we can, but we need to do so smartly. If we walk into a trap, we won’t be any help to her.” Stiles nods his head repeatedly in agreement. “First, we need to wait for Jackson and Danny. They should be here any minute. We’ll split up into teams of three, and we’ll each take half of the possible neighborhoods.”

“Danny can come with us,” Scott offers. “You two can have Jackson.”

“Thanks a lot!” Stiles says, sarcastically.

“Jackson can be an ass, but he loves Lyida. He’ll fight hard to get her back,” Derek states truthfully.

“Fair enough,” Stiles answers. “I’m going to look up which neighborhoods we should be checking while we wait on Jackson and Danny.”

Stiles pulls out his phone and starts googling 480 addresses in Beacon Hills. He comes up with a list of 11 possible houses. He divides the list in two and hands one of the lists over to Scott. 

They all sit in silence for a while. Nervous energy permeates through Stiles. He begins tapping the fingers of his left hand on his knee. His eyes focus on a single point on the carpet. Derek sits with his hands behind his head, resting his head against the wall. He sits close enough to Stiles that Stiles can smell his deodorant. It’s intoxicating. The urge to lay his head on Derek’s shoulder and nuzzle into his neck takes Stiles slightly by surprise. He decides not to push his luck, though. He does decide to rest his head against the wall.

Stiles is startled awake when Jackson and Danny rush in about ten minutes later. Derek tells them about Stiles’ vision, and explains the plan. Neither of the two complain about being split up. So, the group departs quickly from the McCall house.

Derek, Stiles, and Jackson visit three houses without any luck. The sky above grows darker every minute. Stiles shoots Scott a quick text to find out the others haven’t found Lydia yet either. As Derek pulls the Camaro onto the fourth street, Stiles vaguely feels a tingle throughout his body.

“Pull over,” Stiles requests. “This is the street.”

“How do you know?” Jackson asks.

“It…feels right,” Stiles explains.

Jackson rolls his eyes. “You sound weirder every time you speak these days.”

“Well, he hasn’t been wrong yet,” Derek defends, pulling to a stop along the curb.

The three of them continue down the street, now walking. They walk down two and a half blocks before Stiles recognizes the house from his vision. He stops. “That’s the one,” he says pointing to a large ranch-style house with a for-sale sign in the front yard. 

“What now?” Jackson asks. “Should we call the others and wait for them?”

“I don’t think we can afford to,” Stiles answers. “I’ll text Scott real quick, but I say we go for it. I can feel my power building. They’ve likely got lookouts that aren’t going to miss someone glowing across the street.” He’s not lying either; the tingling sensation is growing stronger, spreading further.

“Ok. Text Scott, and then we move,” Derek orders.

Stiles sends Scott the name of the street and lets him know they’re going in without them. Derek leads the way across the street, with Jackson and Stiles a step behind him on the left and right, respectively. As they reach the other side of the street, Stiles notices movement in the house. He can feel his powers are ready. If he’s honest with himself, he’s excited to be part of the action this time around. They are maybe five steps from the porch when the door bursts open. 

Seven wolves rush out of the house; Malachi is not among them. Derek strikes at the nearest one, who falls to the ground. Another replaces him quickly as Jackson and Stiles come within fighting range. Two wolves approach Stiles. Now that he thinks about it, he has no real combat training. He only trained one day with Derek’s pack, and it was all about using his powers. Hmmm. He doesn’t really know how to fight.

Momentarily lost in thought, Stiles receives a painful scratch form his left shoulder down to his elbow. He punches the attacking wolf with his right hand; the wolf lands a few feet away. The second wolf strikes out at Stiles, who ducks and delivers a punch to its stomach. Standing up, Stiles feels the first wolf jump on his back. Screw the fighting, Stiles thinks. He points a hand at each wolf and uses his mind to push them away from him. The first slams into the concrete sidewalk; the second crashes through the wooden railing of the front porch. Fuck! That’s awesome!

Stiles turns his attention to his cohort. Jackson is struggling with two wolves of his own, while Derek battles three. Both Jackson and Derek are covered in scratches, but so are there opponents. Stiles feels a burning in his arm and looks down to see it healing itself. He smiles. Moving between Derek and Jackson, Stiles poises himself to attack. He is distracted when one of the wolves yells into the house.

“It’s them! Take care of the girl.”

Lydia lets out an earsplitting scream that can easily be heard by Stiles, Derek, and Jackson. Leaving his friends behind, Stiles rushes into the house. He runs down the hallway from his vision and finds the room he knows contains Lydia. Throwing the door open with his mind, Stiles enters the room. Only one wolf remains to guard Lydia. 

The wolf must have been some kind of football player before his change. His biceps are the size of Stiles’ head. The beta lunges at Stiles, claws stretched out. As the wolf moves, Stiles gets a good look at Lydia. To Stiles’ shock, she is covered in blood from a deep scratches to the shoulder and chest. Stiles’ rage is incomparable. He shoves his hand toward Lydia’s attacker, who crashes through the outside wall of the room. The beta lands in a crumbled heap on the ground outside.

As Stiles approaches Lydia, he can hear that she is still breathing. A minor flood of relief washes over him. However, it doesn’t last for long. Once he’s close enough to touch her, Stiles sees how severe the wound is. He can see the bones of her shoulder and collarbone. 

“Help!” he shouts toward Derek and Jackson.

Fear and sorrow cause Stiles to momentarily freeze in uncertainty. He doesn’t want to touch her if moving her is the wrong thing. He doesn’t know how to stop that much bleeding. He definitely doesn’t want to do nothing while his friend dies. 

Stiles hears many gasps, and turns to see that Isaac, Danny, and Scott have joined Jackson and Derek. They must have been close by. Each are noticeably traumatized by the scene before them. Stiles decides to touch Lydia’s face, as it seems mostly unharmed.

His voice shakes as he tells her, “we’re going to figure out a way to help. You’re going to have to tell us if something hurts as we move you.” 

Stiles starts moving his hands around her body, trying to find somewhere to touch without hurting her. He notices that his hands start to burn every time they pass over her wounds. It’s a familiar burning sensation, like the one he felt in his arm earlier. It’s the feeling he has when he’s healing. He passes over the wound again to make sure he hadn’t just imagined the feeling. It’s there again.

Stretching both hands open over the deep cuts, Stiles focuses on the burning sensation. He isn’t sure it’s working. Suddenly, he feels a tightness spread from his shoulder down through his chest. The longer he heals Lydia, the tighter his own upper body feels. Ignoring his own discomfort, Stiles watches Lydia’s wounds. He notices that he can’t see her bones anymore; the wounds must be closing up.

As Stiles heals Lydia, the room is silent. He doesn’t think any of his friends are even breathing. Everyone watches as the last of her wounds closes up, sealing itself back together. Stiles watches her closely to see any signs that she is still in pain. She raises her head slowly, and stares straight into Stiles’ eyes.

Her voice is barely a whisper as she says, “Thank you.”

A huge smile spreads across Stiles’ face. He didn’t know it was possible, but he just healed his friend. He opens his mouth to respond, but is overcome by severe fatigue. He collapses limply onto the floor at Lydia’s feet without uttering a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it might seem like I pushed Sterek together without a conversation blah blah blah. In my experience, grief makes people lose certain inhibitions. 
> 
> I can't believe so many people are still reading this story! Thank you for all of the support!


	12. Affirmations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles talk about...

The bed dips slightly down to Stiles’ right. His bed is warmer than usual, like someone has plugged in an electric blanket. Somewhere close, a grizzly bear is growling loudly. As consciousness sweeps his mind, Stiles realizes that neither of these things is true. There is no electric blanket, and there is definitely no bear in his bedroom. Forcing his eyes open, Stiles looks to his right. The sight before him causes his breath to catch, and his heart to skip at least two beats.

Derek Hale is sleeping next to him. Derek is sitting to Stiles’ right, back against the wall and head hanging into his own chest. Derek’s left leg rests against Stiles’ right arm. Stiles can feel its warmth even through his blanket. Derek snores as he sleeps in this uncomfortable position. Stiles watches Derek’s well-crafted chest as it expands and contrasts with each breath he takes. It is a mesmerizing view. Stiles doesn’t even try to stop the smile that spreads across his face as he watches.

Stiles wonders how long he’s been out this time. Seeing the stream of light that sneaks through the cracks where his curtains meet, Stiles knows it is at least the next day. He assumes that it has been longer, though, because Derek has fallen asleep. Stiles reaches for his phone—hoping someone has put it on his bedside table for him—to check the date. This small movement is enough to wake Derek.

Derek’s eyes squint as he adjusts to the stream of light entering the room. “Stiles? Are you awake?”

Stiles could pretend he is just tossing and turning in his sleep. He decides to be honest. “Just woke up,” Stiles answers. That’s honest enough; Derek doesn’t need to know about the staring.

“How do you feel?”

“Groggy, but great! How long have I been out?” Stiles asks, concerned.

“Close to two days, I’d say. It depends how late it is,” Derek responds.

“Two days? Two whole days?” Stiles can’t believe it. His mind is full of questions. As he joins Derek in a seated position, he asks them. “What’s happened? Is Lydia ok? Did Malachi ever show up at 480? Where is everyone? What did you all tell my dad?”

Derek rests his left hand on Stiles’ right shoulder. “Everything is ok. Calm down for a second, and I’ll try to answer the rapidfire round of questions.” Stiles chuckles slightly against his anxiety. “Lydia seems in perfect health after you healed her. We know Malachi is still close, because there have been more deaths in town; your father has been busy investigating. I sent everyone else to Scott’s after they’d been awake for 24 straight hours. They needed rest.”

Stiles remembers healing Lydia. He was pleased to find that hidden aspect of his power, even if he had to pay for it with a couple days’ worth of sleep. Everyone else is safe together; good. They can protect each other if anything happens. 

“They weren’t the only ones,” Stiles says, nodding slightly at Derek to point out that he fell asleep, too.

Derek shrugs. “Someone had to stay and make sure you were protected.”

“I think I’ve demonstrated fairly well that I am capable of protecting myself,” Stiles offers.

“Not while you’re sleeping,” Derek counters. “Plus, I guess I wanted to make sure you woke up.”

Derek showing concern does not give Stiles butterflies. He smiles and looks into Derek’s eyes. Derek returns Stiles’ gaze and the corners of his mouth turn up slightly. The way Derek’s smiles affect Stiles is unfair. 

“Derek,” Stiles starts. “I…what…” Stiles exhales and closes his eyes as he struggles for the right words.

“What?” Derek asks.

Stiles looks at him again, and sees that Derek has not dropped his gaze. He isn’t sure if it’s the grogginess or seeing Lydia nearly die last night, but Stiles has lost all of his inhibitions. He doesn’t know if this is the right time to talk about this or not, but he can’t help himself any longer. 

“Derek, what’s happening here?”

Derek’s eyes narrow slightly in confusion. Stiles continues staring into Derek’s eyes, willing him to understand. He doesn’t think he could come outright and ask what’s happening between them. Derek must catch on to the intent of the question, because he blushes. Derek Hale blushes. If smiles give Stiles butterflies, this blushing gives him hummingbirds.

“I don’t know how to explain it, Stiles,” Derek answers without breaking eye contact. “I mean, I’ve never been…no…I’ve never felt…” Derek is struggling for the right words and drops his head in frustration. 

Stiles tentatively places his right hand on Derek’s back between his shoulder blades. “It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything. I shouldn’t have asked.” Stiles berates himself internally for pushing too far. After the close contact yesterday, Stiles thought they might be getting somewhere. Idiot.

Derek raises his head once again to find Stiles’ eyes. Stiles is surprised to see him smiling. “I want to.”

“Ok,” Stiles says, returning Derek’s smile.

“When I was younger, I used to picture myself at this age. I figured I would have a decent job, be married to a nice girl, and have a kid or two. I grew up wanting those things. I wanted them for a long time. I wanted them…well,” Derek bites his bottom lip, “I wanted them until…until I met you.” Stiles’ smile grows larger. Derek doesn’t stop talking, though. “I didn’t really understand why at first. I convinced myself it was just being a werewolf that changed my plans for the future. The more time I spent around you, though, the harder it was to lie to myself. I took out my inner frustrations by snapping at you. It grew harder to be like that toward you, though.

I guess the truth really hit home in the hospital a few days ago. You risked your life for me, and I had to watch as you just laid there. When you got better, I felt inexplicably happy. Then, you were incapacitated just a few hours later and I was back to being distraught. It confused me at first, but I knew there was only one answer. I care about you. I care about you a lot, and I want you to care about me, too.”

Forget butterflies in his stomach, Stiles’ entire body is weightless. He is a butterfly floating through the air. The blush that consumes his face is accompanied by the biggest smile his face can manage. Stiles drops his head slightly, embarrassed by Derek’s admission. 

“Wow…I…” Stiles stammers, never recalling Derek speaking this much about his own feelings.

“And, I know I pushed too far yesterday with the hugging and the general closeness. I was being selfish, and I’m sorry.” 

“You didn’t,” Stiles says, shaking his head. He looks back up at Derek. “Derek, you didn’t push. I thought I was taking advantage, clinging onto you.”

“Hmmm?” 

“The first thing I remember from waking up in the hospital is you holding onto my elbow, anchoring me. I remember the butterflies it gave me and the disappointment I felt when you let go. I’ve been feeling annoyingly giddy—like an idiot teenager—around you ever since. So, when you put your arms around me at Scott’s, I wasn’t going to pass that up,” Stiles explains.

It’s Derek’s turn to wear the stupidly large grin. “So, you…” Derek can’t finish his question.

“Yeah; I care about you, too.” 

A small laugh escapes Derek.

“What?” Stiles asks.

“It’s just strange,” Derek says.

“What’s strange?”

“I’ve been so afraid that you wouldn’t feel the same way but, now, it feels stupid to have ever thought that,” Derek explains.

“I know exactly what you mean; trust me, Derek. In fact, I’m still finding it hard to believe that you just admitted to having feelings for me.”

Derek bumps his left shoulder against Stiles’ right playfully. Stiles is taken by surprise and almost falls out of the bed. Derek lunges across Stiles and grabs both of Stiles’ shoulders, steadying him back on the bed. Stiles holds onto Derek’s elbows. In this position, they’re facing each other, now. Stiles realizes he is slowly leaning in toward Derek. Derek is mirroring Stiles’ action. 

Stiles feels his heartbeat quicken. He closes his eyes to ease his nerves. It doesn’t help much. As he leans in closer, he tilts his head to the right. Derek’s hands slide up to cup Stiles’ face. Derek’s lips close on Stiles’ upper lip gently. Derek starts tilting his head the opposite way, switching the angle of the kiss. Stiles mirrors the action slowly. It’s a simple first kiss, but will sit perfectly in Stiles’ memory. Derek’s lips leave Stiles’ and he places a small kiss on Stiles’ forehead.

Derek’s cell phone starts ringing. He let’s go of Stiles with his right hand. His left falls into Stiles’ lap, grabbing Stiles’ right hand. He gives it a soft squeeze.

“Hello?” Derek answers. He flips on the speaker phone.

“Derek! Is Stiles awake yet?” Stiles easily recognizes Scott’s voice. 

“Sure is,” Derek answers.

“How’s he feeling?”

“He’s just perfect!” Derek answers, squeezing Stiles hand and winking at him. Stiles blushes.

“I feel fine, Scott,” Stiles says.

“Oh! You knew it was me,” Scott replies.

“Nope. I have no idea what my best friend sounds like,” Stiles retorts. 

Scott laughs. “When are you guys going to head over this way?”

“Well, I have a little bit of research I need to do first, so I don’t know,” Stiles answers.

“Ok,” Scott responds, confused. “I guess we’ll see you after that then.”

“Yep. Bye, Scott.”

“Bye, Scott,” Derek adds, clicking off the phone. Then, to Stiles, he asks, “What do you need to research?”

Stiles leans in and plants a soft kiss on Derek’s lips. “Oh, it’s something very important. I’m wondering how long we can make out before Scott calls again.” Stiles wiggles his eyebrows.

Derek laughs. It’s not a soft chuckle, but an honest to god laugh. He pulls Stiles in so close that their lips are touching. “That is a very important question.” 

“I thought so,” Stiles responds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on writing Stiles as the confessor, but Derek snuck his way into the role somehow. Like I've said before, I feel like Derek has really powerful emotions, but hides them most of the time. This just seemed like a time he would let them out.


	13. Simple Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack comes to a few realizations. One they're happy about; the other scares them.

“Ten minutes, Scott?” Stiles shouts into the phone. “It’s only been ten minutes!”

“What the fuck, Stiles! Why are you yelling at me?” Scott asks.

Stiles lets out a deep breath. Of course Scott doesn’t know that he’s interrupting a fantastic makeout session. Stiles sits up and says, “Sorry. What’s up?”

“Everyone’s growing restless over here. Can’t your research wait until later, Stiles?”

“Well, I suppose I can stop researching for the moment,” Stiles says. Stiles looks down at Derek—who is still laying on Stiles’ bed—and watches as disappointment spreads across Derek’s face. “But, only because I’ll have more time for it tomorrow.” Stiles winks at Derek who smiles widely.

“So, you and Derek are coming, then?” Scott asks.

Stiles coughs. “We’re leaving now.” He clicks off the phone but continues to Derek. “Looks like the others are too anxious to be left alone without some sort of plan.”

Derek frowns slightly. “I guess that’s understandable. I was just hoping for a little more time alone,” Derek says, raising his eyebrows and smiling.

A small blush spreads across Stiles’ face. Derek raises himself on one elbow, bringing his face closer to Stiles’. Stiles closes the distance and tries to place a tender kiss on Derek’s lips. Derek has different plans though. When their lips touch, Derek slips his tongue forward, forcing Stiles’ lips apart. This intrusion elicits a soft moan from Stiles. As they break apart, a smug smile is noticeable on Derek’s face.

“You’re sure we have to go over to Scott’s?” Derek asks.

“You’re evil,” Stiles answers, “and, yes. We have to go, unfortunately.”

Stiles and Derek get off of the bed. Stiles pushes Derek out of his room so he can change out of the clothes he’s been in for two days’ worth of sleep. He grabs jeans and a t-shirt, and is changed in a few seconds. He and Derek are walking downstairs toward the door a few moments later. Stiles goes for his keys, but Derek stops him.

“I’ll drive, thanks,” Derek says.

“There is nothing wrong with my jeep!” Stiles argues.

“I know, but I like to drive.”

“Well, I don’t see how that,” Stiles starts, but is interrupted by a kiss. “Ok, you can drive.”

Stiles is happy with the decision to let Derek drive; the Camaro smells like Derek. The drive over to Scott’s starts out awkward. Neither Derek nor Stiles speak. Stiles starts tapping his fingers anxiously against his left knee. Derek takes his right hand off of the steering wheel and slips it under Stiles’ left, interlocking their fingers. Calm instantly spreads through Stiles.

Though the rest of the ride remains silent, the awkwardness subsides quickly. It’s replaced by contentment. Derek parks the car in Scott’s driveway. He leans over and kisses Stiles again. Stiles doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to kissing Derek. Each kiss is new, but similar at the same time.

“Are you sure we can’t just stay out here?” Derek asks.

“We could, but I’m sure they heard us pull up,” Stiles answers. “So, unless you want them walking up on us making out, I say we should go in.”

“Would that bother you?” Derek asks.

Stiles wishes he could say he had to consider this question, but he answers so quickly and surely that he startles himself. “No.”

“Then, why should it matter?”

“Well, you know them; they’ll ask a lot of questions. We’re not going to be able to answer a lot of them, yet,” Stiles explains. “Can’t we just explore this ourselves for a while?”

Derek smiles. “I think that’s a great idea,” Derek says, leaning over for a deep kiss.

They get out of the car and head for the front door. Walking into the house, they find their friends scattered about the living room. Lydia, Jackson, and Scott are all on the couch, Isaac sits between Scott’s legs on the floor, and Danny is curled up in a chair. Stiles and Derek walk over to the empty loveseat they occupied a few days ago and sit down.

“So, growing restless are we?” Stiles asks the group.

“Hold the fucking phone,” Lydia interrupts, throwing her left hand up as if she were stopping traffic. She stares at Stiles and then Derek and then Stiles again. Her eyes pop wide-open in excitement. “Oh my god. It finally happened.” Stiles starts burning red in embarrassment. Of course Lydia would notice.

“What happened?” Jackson asks.

“They made out,” Isaac answers. What? How did Isaac know. Stiles and Derek stare at each other, trying not to smile.

“How could you possibly know that by looking at them?” Jackson is clearly confused.

“Well, besides the glow and smiles, there’s the beard burn,” Scott answers.

“The what?” Jackson is such a straight man.

“Beard burn. When you make out with a guy who has a beard or stubble, it irritates the skin around your lips, chin, cheek…you know, anywhere it rubs against,” Danny explains.

“Can we stop talking about this please?” Stiles asks.

“Sounds like a great idea,” Derek seconds.

“Oh, no. There’s no way we’re dropping this,” Lydia answers. “Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for this to happen?”

“You’ve been what?” Stiles asks.

“Waiting,” Danny repeats. “You two are both painfully oblivious. You’ve clearly had a thing for each other for years.”

“Years?” Stiles and Derek exclaim together, shocked.

“Oh, yeah. All of the bickering and mutual life-saving,” Isaac explains, “were clear giveaways. Not to mention you both checking each other when you think no one is looking.” Stiles face must be the color of an apple by now.

“Crystal clear,” Scott supports.

“Very hard to miss,” Danny agrees.

“I missed it!” Jackson pipes up. “I just thought you two didn’t get along.”

“Jackson, please,” Lydia says, slapping him in the arm. “You’re blind.”

Stiles cannot believe this conversation is actually happening. He and Derek had just decided to keep this hidden for a while. Now, there’s clearly no hope of that. Scott and Lydia should both know better than to bring this up. Stiles reminds himself to berate them later, in private.

“Look, drop it!” Derek orders. “We came over here because you all couldn’t stand to be alone for a few hours. So, what’s the problem?”

The pack will listen to Derek, but Scott and Lydia aren’t pack. Stiles shoots them both death stares to ensure they drop it as well. Everyone sits in silence for a moment before Jackson speaks up.

“Well, we’ve just noticed something about Stiles’ powers,” he starts. “Clearly, they’re growing, which is a good thing. He also seems to have better control over them as they grow, like it’s an instinct. However, we’ve noticed that he can never affect more than two people at the same time.”

“What do you mean?” Derek asks.

“He can only use his powers against two foes at a time,” Isaac adds. “When he and Lydia were attacked, there were two betas. When he stopped you and Jackson in training, it was just the two of you. When you rescued Lydia, Jackson told us he never fought more than two at a time.”

Scott continues the explanation. “We know that Malachi is growing his pack. We also know that Stiles is our best chance at beating Malachi. What happens if Malachi and two of his betas attack Stiles directly?”

“Well, the rest of us will be there to help out,” Derek answers matter-of-factly.

“True, but we don’t know how large Malachi’s pack is now,” Danny adds. “What if there are too many for us to deal with and we can’t help Stiles? We just think we should start training again as soon as possible.”

Scott looks at Stiles as he says, “And we just think you should focus your training on trying to fight multiple opponents. The translocating would be cool, but what does it ultimately achieve? This would be more effective.”

Although Stiles had never paid attention to this own defect with his powers, he was happy for the change of subject. He shrugs. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. I think we all planned on getting back into training as soon as possible anyway.” 

“That’s not a bad plan, guys,” Derek concedes. “We do have a few hours left in the day. We could head over to the warehouse now.”

Stiles and Derek watch as the rest of the group seems to instantly relax. “We were hoping you’d say that,” Isaac says.

\---

Training did not go as well as everyone had hoped. Stiles had not made any improvement in fighting off more than two wolves at a time. He could stop Derek and Scott, but Isaac or Jackson would then be able to get to him. They tried for two hours with absolutely no improvement. So, they all went home for the night a little dispirited, Stiles most of all. 

Derek pulls up to the Stilinski house and walks Stiles up to the front door. “Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Derek says as he squeezes Stiles’ hand. 

“It’s ok,” Stiles admits. “They would have found out sooner or later.”

“Are you going to be ok alone tonight?”

Stiles nods. “I think so. Yeah. I don’t feel exhausted like I have in the past. I’m tired, don’t get me wrong, but I think I’m building up some stamina.”

“Well, that’s good news! I worry too much when you’re passed out.”

Stiles leans in and kisses Derek softly on the lips. “You worry too much.”

“Not possible,” Derek says, taking Stiles in his arms and resting his forehead against Stiles’. Stiles cannot get over Derek’s scent. The combination of leather, deodorant, and even sweat are—if Stiles is honest—arousing. Derek kisses Stiles on the forehead. “Goodnight.”

“G’night,” Stiles responds. He watches as Derek walks back to his car. Stiles will never stop being amazed by how good Derek’s ass looks in jeans.

Once Derek drives away, Stiles goes into the house. He walks upstairs and takes a rather cold shower. He messes around on the internet for a while before he decides to lie down. After thirty minutes or so of just lying there, Stiles wonders if he’ll ever fall asleep. Then, he realizes that this is his first night alone in over a week. He didn’t realize how accustomed he’d become to having someone else here with him. First it was the whole pack, then Scott, and then Derek. Now, it’s just Stiles. He debates internally for a few moments before grabbing his phone and dialing a phone number.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, everything is ok,” Stiles answers.

“Good! What’s up, then?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“That’s not good. Have you tried counting sheep?”

Stiles laughs. “No, smartass. I have not.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Well, I thought since being around you always calms me, talking to you might help me, too, Derek. But, if you want me to count sheep, I could just hang up.”

It’s Derek that laughs this time. “Well-played. What did you want to talk about?”

“Nothing in particular. Any ideas?”

“I’ll talk about anything with you, Stiles.”

Stiles has been wondering about something all day. Now is as good a time as any to talk about it. “So, other than Jackson, no one was surprised that we’re tog…that we made out. They all seemed to know that we care about each other, but I had no idea you felt that way about me. Did you know how I felt about you?”

Derek is silent for a moment, considering his response. “I didn’t know until you attacked me in the living room and let me hold onto you. Then, I wasn’t even perfectly sure. When you asked what was going on, I figured it was my one and only chance to be honest.”

“I’m glad you were honest.”

“I’m glad you asked.”

Stiles and Derek spend the next hour talking before Stiles falls asleep on the phone. When Derek notices that Stiles has fallen asleep, he closes his eyes and listens to Stiles’ steady breaths for a few moments. Then, he says into the phone, “You don’t realize it yet, but I would do anything to keep you this happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I got stuck midway through!


	14. Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles share two firsts. The group learns something about Malachi.

The next two weeks follow the same basic pattern. The friends meet at Scott’s house early in the afternoon where they strategize. Then, they train at the warehouse for a few hours, where Stiles is still unable to expand his powers against multiple opponents. Each night, Stiles falls asleep talking to Derek. They talk about a variety of things, both light and heavy. In the same night, Stiles can discover Derek’s favorite type of cookie and learn about his battle with depression after the fire. Stiles will tell Derek his favorite color, and then admit how much he worries about the sheriff. They joke with each other. They comfort each other. 

In the few hours not dedicated to preparing against Malachi—whose body count has risen to 7—the friends try to live life as normally as possible, but make sure to do it in pairs or small groups. Scott and Isaac work their shifts at the clinic. Jackson, Lydia, and Danny spend a lot of their time together doing god knows what. Stiles and Derek mostly make out. 

Stiles wakes up today, two and half weeks after saving Lydia, feeling like things could definitely be worse. Sure, he can only fight two people at the same time, but his control over his powers has really improved. He can use them mostly at will now, and has minimum recovery time. Stiles gets to make out with the hottest person he’s ever met, and gets to fall asleep talking to him every night. Malachi is on the loose, but he hasn’t attacked them recently. Things could definitely be worse.

Being in a good mood, Stiles decides to ask for something he’s wanted for a while now. First, he texts Derek to make sure he’s awake. 

Hey there! ;) You awake? Stiles only waits a few seconds until his phone beeps and the new message alert pops up. 

I am! What’s up?

Well, I have an idea. Can I call you?

Stiles doesn’t get a text back. Instead, his phone starts ringing. “Good morning, Derek.”

“Good morning! You sleep well?”

“Mmmhmmm. You?”

“Actually, I’ve been sleeping well a lot these last couple weeks,” Derek answers. That makes Stiles smile. “So, you have an idea about something.”

“Yeah. Well, I’ve been thinking lately and,” Stiles starts. Wow. He didn’t know he would be nervous about this. They’ve been spending a lot of alone time together; he shouldn’t be nervous. “Well, I thought we could maybe…Derek, will you go on a date with me?” Stiles closes his eyes and stops breathing.

Derek only takes a few seconds to answer. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do today.” Stiles finally exhales. “I know it’s not anything special, but would you want to grab lunch on the way to Scott’s?”

“That sounds perfect!”

“Are you sure? I know it’s not the first date you deserve, but”

“Derek,” Stiles interrupts, “Just being out together on an actual date is perfect.”

“Ok, I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“See you then!”

Stiles clicks off his phone. He falls back against his pillow. The smile that spreads across Stiles face is honest. This smile has been appearing more and more since he and Derek started…spending time together. Stiles wonders how he should refer to their relationship. They definitely have one, but what is it? Are they dating? Are they boyfriends? Maybe the label doesn’t really matter.

Stiles decides to shower before the lunch date. He takes his time picking out his clothes. This is Stiles’ first date and, even though it’s just lunch, he wants to do it right. He settles on his best pair of jeans, a red flannel button up that fits tightly and shows off his lean physique, and sleek brown shoes. When he looks in the mirror, he admits to himself that he’s not totally unattractive. 

Fifteen minutes later, Stiles is walking out the front door. He gets into Derek’s Camaro and is surrounded by his favorite smell. Derek leans over and kisses him. Stiles notices how Derek’s black, button up highlights his muscles. It’s damn sexy. Derek’s eyes glance up and down Stiles’ body.

“This is a great look for you,” Derek says, kissing Stiles again.

Once Stiles pulls away, he says, “Likewise. Where are we going for lunch?”

“I thought we could go to the new pizza place that opened last month. Have you been yet?” Derek asks.

“No! Everyone says it’s fantastic, though!”

“Well, it’s settled then,” Derek answers, smiling. 

In ten minutes, Stiles and Derek pull into the parking lot at Emilio’s. The small, brick building looks quaint and seasoned, even for a new building. Derek takes Stiles’ hand and leads him into the restaurant. Inside, there are booths and tables, and a small bar in the back of the room near the kitchen. At most, the pizza parlor could hold 50 people. Emilio’s isn’t necessarily a fancy restaurant, but the antiquated design of the parlor gives it a touch of class.

A waitress in black pants and a white polo walks up to the two of them. “Buongiorno! Welcome to Emilio’s! Just the two of you?”

“Yep,” Stiles answers. Noticing an empty two-top table in the corner, Stiles adds, “Would it be possible for us to sit over there?”

“Of course!” the waitress responds. She leads them over to the small table, takes their drink orders, and heads toward the bar. 

Stiles and Derek are left alone. Neither should be nervous, but they say nothing to each other at first. Instead, they both open their menus and look over the options. Stiles starts looking around the room, eyeing the other customers. Derek just stares at the menu.

Stiles can’t take the silence. “So…uh…” he clears his throat. “What do you like on your pizza?”

Derek shrugs. “I’ll eat anything. You?”

“No banana peppers, black olives, or anchovies, but other than that I’m golden.”

The waitress interrupts them with their drinks. They order a deluxe pizza without the things Stiles doesn’t like. The awkward silence follows again.

“Thanks for agreeing to do this with me. I know it’s probably not really your thing,” Stiles says, looking down slightly. 

“Why do you think that?” Derek asks, fairly.

“Well, I’ve never really seen you go on a date before.”

“Stiles, I don’t date because I’ve never been interested in someone enough to waste my time with it.”

Stiles blushes. “Oh.”

“I’m really glad we’re doing this.”

“Me too.”

The rest of the date goes by smoothly. They talk like they do every night. The only snag comes with the check. Derek wants to pay, but so does Stiles. In the end, Stiles caves, but only after making Derek promise that he can buy next time.

The date lasted long enough that they missed out on going to Scott’s house for planning. Instead, they meet their friends at the warehouse. Unsurprisingly, Scott and Lydia realize they went on a date. After a little bit of teasing, they began training. 

Stiles is holding Jackson and Isaac in midair when it happens. Eyes clenching shut and head dropping to his chest, a vision forms in Stiles’ mind. At first, all he sees is trees. A rundown shack becomes visible as does a large wooden tower next to it. His vision takes him inside the shack where he sees Malachi and a handful of betas sleeping. The vision directs him to the top of the tower, where five betas stand watch. Looking around, he sees more of Malachi’s pack walking tracks around a perimeter.

When the vision ends, Stiles notices that Jackson and Isaac have fallen to the ground. Once again, all eyes are on Stiles. He’ll never get used to being the center of attention. It makes him uncomfortable.

“I had a vision,” Stiles admits to the group.

“And?” Jackson asks, rubbing a spot on his forehead.

“I know where Malachi’s hideout is,” Stiles responds. The excitement in the room is palpable. “Scott, you remember when my dad took us camping forever ago? We were like ten. We followed an old forest ranger trail through the forest.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Scott says. “He took us by that old ranger station and watchtower. Wait! Is that where he’s hiding out?”

Stiles nods. “You got it. They’ve got some sort of watch cycle going on, and a perimeter march. The pack has definitely grown; I could make out at least 25 wolves.”

“That’s definitely not good,” Derek says. “However, if we can come up with a good enough plan, we may be able to take them by surprise. They think we have no idea where they’re hiding out. We can definitely use this to our advantage.”

“God, Stiles. I love your powers,” Lydia proclaims.

“Yeah, we might finally be able to move past all of this and get on with our lives,” Danny adds.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Derek warns. “We need time to come up with a fool-proof plan. Tomorrow, we’ll meet at Scott’s. Everyone should have some ideas on what we can do. We need to act carefully, but quickly. We don’t want them moving on.”

The group heads home after that. Danny goes with Scott and Isaac this time around, so that Lydia and Jackson can have some time to themselves. Derek drives Stiles home, again. They walk to Stiles door together and wrap their arms around each other. 

“I had a great time on our date today, Stiles,” Derek says.

“Me too.”

Derek kisses Stiles quickly. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Ok.” He lets Derek get about halfway to his car before he shouts at him. “Hey! Come back here.”

Derek walks back up to the front door and smiles. “What?”

Stiles grabs both of Derek’s hands and kisses him again. “I was just wondering if…you might wanna stay here tonight.” He can’t help the blush that spreads across his cheeks. Holy shit! Are Derek’s cheeks turning red, too? Oh, fuck; that’s adorable!

“Are you sure that won’t be a problem?” Derek asks.

“My dad’s working the late shift,” Stiles admits. “He won’t be home until late afternoon. But, if it matters, he wouldn’t care anyway.”

Derek nods slowly and smiles. “How can I say no?”

Stiles is beaming. He opens the door and leads Derek to his room. Halfway up the stairs, Stiles turns around and kisses Derek deeply. Their arms wrap around each other, pulling each other close. Tongues explore each other’s mouths. A few minutes in, they break for air. Stiles leads Derek up the rest of the stairs. He closes the door to his bedroom, and is rewarded by Derek pressing him up against the closed door. Derek’s hands slide down to Stiles’ sides, causing Stiles to shudder. Derek goes in for a kiss, but captures Stiles’ bottom lip between his teeth. Applying soft pressure, Derek pulls on Stiles lip. Stiles can’t prevent the moan that escapes him as his hips buck up toward Derek’s allowing him to feel their erections press together.

“Well,” Stiles breathes. “It appears I’m stuck between a door and a hard place.”

“That sounds really uncomfortable,” Derek says, feigning concern.

“Oh, very much so,” Stiles says dramatically.

“Maybe we should lie down.”

“Well, if you insist,” Stiles says, not being able to prevent the smile that appears.

Derek leads Stiles to the bed. They fall onto it together. Derek lies with his back on the bed. Stiles is on his side, with his left leg tangled between both of Derek’s. They kiss deeply while their hands memorize each other’s bodies. Stiles’ hand slides over the bulge in Derek’s jeans. His own erection twitches as he feels how hard Derek is. Derek exhales slowly at the contact. 

Stiles slides his hand up to Derek’s chest and he pulls his mouth away from Derek’s. Sitting up slightly, Stiles undoes the top button of Derek’s shirt. He kisses Derek’s chest where the button had been. Derek’s chest hair tickles Stiles’ nose. Stiles unbuttons Derek’s shirt, planting kisses along the way. He separates the shirt and runs his hands up and down Derek’s bare chest. He undoes the button of Derek’s jeans as Derek grabs his shoulders. Derek pulls Stiles up into a passionate kiss. Derek flips Stiles onto his back. Derek mirrors Stiles actions, unbuttoning Stiles’ shirt and kissing his way down Stiles’ torso. When he reaches Stiles’ navel, Derek traces it with his tongue. Stiles moans softly beneath him.

Derek sits up on his knees and removes his own shirt. Stiles can’t believe how sexy this action looks. Stiles removes his shirt, too, and swears Derek might think he looks good, too. Derek stands up off the bed. He unzips his pants. Slipping his thumbs between his skin and underwear, Derek removes the last of his clothing. Stiles’ eyes search for an imperfection, but cannot find one. Derek is perfect. Stiles’ heart skips a beat as his eyes pass over Derek’s cock. It’s no longer than Stiles’, but it is thicker. Stiles slides off the bed and removes his own pants. He watches as Derek’s eyes map his body. 

“You are so sexy,” Derek says.

“You’re perfect,” Stiles responds. 

Neither of them blushes this time. Instead, they stand there in awe of each other. Stiles places a hand on Derek’s chest and directs him back onto the bed. Stiles lays on top of him, and they share a passionate kiss. As they break apart, Derek bites Stiles’ lip again. Stiles doesn’t know why that’s so hot. Stiles kisses his way down Derek’s chest again. The closer he gets to Derek’s waist, the more nervous he becomes. He shakes slightly. 

Stiles slides his hand below Derek’s waist. The tip of Derek’s cock is wet as Stiles’ palm passes over it. As Stiles grabs hold of Derek’s cock, it becomes even harder. Stiles’ heart is racing as he licks Derek from base to tip. Derek shudders beneath him. As he reaches the tip, Stiles slides his head down taking Derek in his mouth. Derek moans softly. Stiles bobs his head up and down slightly, focusing on the top of Derek’s cock. Derek’s hands play with Stiles’ hair. Stiles tries to take more of Derek into his mouth, but gags a little past halfway down. Stiles grabs the base of Derek’s cock and strokes it as he sucks at the tip. Derek starts squirming beneath him and his moans increase.

Derek breathes heavy as he says, “Stiles, oh god. Stiles, I’m close.” This fuels Stiles. He sucks and pumps harder and faster. “Oh, fuck. Stiles, I’m gonna…I’m gonna…ahhh.” Derek releases into Stiles’ mouth. Stiles swallows what he can, but some leaks onto Derek’s cock and balls. He licks up the excess. Derek pulls Stiles up into a deep kiss. 

Flipping Stiles onto his back again, Derek grabs hold of Stiles’ leaking cock. Stiles bucks into Derek’s hand it feels so good. Derek lowers his head and takes Stiles into his mouth. The wet warmth elicits a loud moan from Stiles. “Fuck.” Stiles fingers dig into Derek’s shoulders as he moves up and down Stiles’ shaft. Sucking Derek off had turned Stiles on so much that he’s already close.

“Fuck, Derek. Fuck, I’m close.” Derek sucks down to the base of Stiles’ cock. This is too much for Stiles. “FUCK!” Stiles can’t help bucking up as he releases down Derek’s throat. After his spasms stop, Stiles feels completely spent. Derek plants kisses up Stiles body until he reaches his lips. Derek kisses him gently.

Stiles looks into Derek’s eyes and can’t imagine ever being happier. He notices the same thought behind Derek’s eyes and can’t help but smiling. He never thought he could feel so content. 

“Those kisses are my favorite,” he tells Derek.

“Which ones? These ones?” Derek asks as he presses a soft kiss to Stiles’ lips again.

“Mmmhmmm. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them.”

“Me either.”

“Good,” Stiles says.

Derek sneaks his right arm under Stiles and urges him onto his side. He pulls the blanket over them. Derek slips his left around Stiles’ waist. Stiles wraps both of his arms around Derek’s left, securing him in place. Derek nuzzles his face into Stiles’ neck. They lie there cuddling in silence for a few minutes.

Stiles is the first to break the silence. “Derek?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for staying over.”

“Thanks for asking me to.”

Stiles lets a few seconds go by. “Derek?”

“Mmmhmmm?”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Stiles,” Derek says, kissing Stiles neck softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry you had to wait so long for the update. Work got in the way. Hope the chapter was worth the wait.


	15. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think the chapter title is self-explanatory.

Stiles wakes up tangled around Derek. His arms are wrapped around Derek’s waist, his head lies on Derek’s chest, and Stiles isn’t sure whose legs are whose. If he’s ever had a better night’s sleep, Stiles doesn’t remember it. Derek runs his hand up and down Stiles’ arm slowly.

“Good morning,” Derek says.

Stiles opens his eyes and looks up at Derek. He smiles. “Good morning!” Stiles pushes up slightly so he can kiss Derek. 

“You know, I think these are going to be my favorite kisses,” Derek says.

“Which ones?”

“The kisses we share when we wake up in each other’s arms.” 

The blush that spreads across Stiles’ face can’t be stopped. Derek leans his head down, kissing Stiles’ reddening cheeks. Stiles burrows into the space between Derek’s neck and shoulder, gripping on tighter to Derek’s waist. They stay like this long enough that Stiles’ mind starts to wonder. He can’t believe how comfortable this feels. It’s easy being with Derek. A month ago, he never would have guessed his life would lead him to this. He’s glad it did, though.

“I could get used to this,” Stiles admits.

Derek squeezes him tightly. “Me too.”

Stiles chuckles lightly. “You sure know how to ruin a nice, sweet moment.”

“What?” Derek asks.

“Don’t pretend I can’t see the sheets moving down there,” Stiles teases, nodding his head toward Derek’s crotch.

Derek shrugs slightly. “It’s your fault.”

“I think I can live with that.”

Stiles slides down between Derek’s legs. He grabs Derek’s lengthening erection, and begins to pump. Derek bites his bottom lip. Stiles dips his head down, and starts sucking Derek off. After a few moments, Derek is moaning quietly and playing with Stiles’ hair again. Stiles stops. He moves up to kiss Derek on the lips.

“So, how does this work exactly?” Stiles asks.

Derek laughs. “It seems to be working well as is.”

Stiles raises and eyebrow and stares at Derek. “That’s not what I meant. This is my…uh…” Stiles clears his throat, “this is my first time. How do we decide…um…who does who?”

Derek raises both of his eyebrows. “Oh. Well, I don’t really know, Stiles. I’ve only ever been with Kate.”

Stiles’ jaw drops. “What? With this body? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m not saying I didn’t have the opportunity, but I was pretty damaged after Kate. I just promised myself it would actually mean something the next time.”

A small smile spreads across Stiles’ face. “I would never hurt you like she did.”

“I know that,” Derek promises. “Back to your question…is there something you would like to try?”

Stiles considers this. “I guess I’d like to try both.”

“You guess?” Derek asks.

“Well, if I’m being honest, you’re fairly thick and I’m afraid it’s going to hurt,” Stiles answers, eyeing Derek’s erection as he speaks. Neither Derek nor Stiles are overly huge—slightly above average length—but Derek is disproportionately girthy.

Derek smiles, reassuringly. “I think it’s going to hurt the first time no matter how big I am, but—if you’re worried about it—I don’t mind trying it first.”

Stiles’ cock twitches at the idea of being inside Derek. “You would do that for me?”

“Stiles,” Derek says, staring deep into his eyes, “I would do anything for you.”

Closing the distance between them, Stiles kisses Derek. “I want to try it first.”

“Are you sure?” Stiles nods softly. “We can stop any time you want to, ok?” Stiles nods again.

Derek slips his tongue into Stiles’ mouth for a sloppy, sexy kiss. Stiles grabs onto both sides of Derek’s face, urging him to continue the contact. As they break the kiss, Stiles reaches into his bedside table and pulls out lube. Before opening it, he positions himself between Derek’s legs again to reawaken Derek’s erection. Once Derek is fully hard again, he pulls Stiles up.

“Do you have a condom?” Derek asks.

“I was about to grab one, but then I remembered that you’ve only been with Kate and I haven’t been with anyone. Plus, if something were to happen, I can heal us.” Stiles shrugs. 

Derek flips Stiles onto his back. He slowly runs his hands over Stiles’ body. Derek kisses Stiles’ chin, dragging his lips down to Stiles’ Adam’s apple. He licks downward, paying special attention to the hollow beneath. Stiles grips the sheets beneath him. Derek kisses his way to Stiles’ left nipple and flicks it with his tongue. Stiles giggles. Derek kisses it gently before biting down slightly and pulling it upwards. He is rewarded by a sharp intake of breath from Stiles. Derek plants kisses down Stiles’ stomach until he can take Stiles’ hardening length into his mouth. Stiles moans quietly, hands moving to Derek’s hair. 

Derek raises himself onto his knees, removing his mouth from Stiles’ cock. He grabs the bottle of lube and wets the tip of his middle finger. Reaching between Stiles’ legs, Derek presses against Stiles’ entrance. Slowly, he starts rubbing small circles around the tight opening. He hears Stiles’ breath catch above him. Derek wets the length of his finger and slowly pushes into Stiles. Stiles moves beneath him, groaning uncomfortably. Derek moves his finger around, and hits a spot that sends shivers through Stiles’ body.

“Shit,” Stiles moans.

Derek takes this as a sign that he can add a second finger. Stiles grunts as he clenches the sheets again. His breaths are a little irregular, but he rocks onto Derek’s fingers. Derek moves his fingers in and out, twisting and turning as he does. Stiles can’t control his squirming. It feels uncomfortable, but good at the same time. Every time Derek passes over that spot, Stiles becomes more relaxed, controls his breathing, and focuses on the pleasure.

Stiles’ moans convince Derek he can try entering Stiles. “Do you think you’re ready?”

Stiles doesn’t want to speak and give away his anxiety. He nods slowly. He watches as Derek grabs the bottle of lube again and squirts a generous amount over his rock-hard erection. Derek strokes himself a few times, and Stiles thinks he could watch that for the rest of his life.

Derek moves closer to Stiles’ so that his thighs press against the underside of Stiles’ legs, which lightly wrap around Derek’s waist. Stiles rests his hands on Derek’s arms. Derek presses the tip of his cock against Stiles’ loosened hole. He can hear Stiles’ heartbeat increasing, so he moves slowly. Pushing in just slightly, Derek comes to a tight ring and stops. Stiles winces at the contact, but seems to be ok. Derek pushes himself through the tightness, and is unprepared for Stiles reaction.

“Fuck,” Stiles yells, digging his fingers into Derek’s biceps. He feels like he’s just been split in two. As Derek starts to pull out, the pain increases and Stiles says, “Wait!” Derek stops. “Don’t move. It hurts more when you move.” Derek pauses, waiting for Stiles to adjust. It takes a moment, but Stiles tells him “It’s ok, you can move further now.”

It takes a few minutes for Derek to get comfortably deep into Stiles. Beads of sweat are easily visible on Stiles’ forehead as he adjusts to Derek’s length and girth. When he’s sure the pain that remains isn’t going away, he tells Derek he can move. Derek rocks back slowly, and pushes back into Stiles. Stiles groans lightly. Derek continues the back and forth motion, settling for a steady, moderate pace. Stiles’ groans turn into moans as he starts to recognize the pleasure beneath the pain. As Derek presses in, Stiles starts bucking his hips to meet the thrusts. Derek takes this as permission to increase his pace. 

Stiles thinks he could get used to this, but something is still slightly off. “Ah…Derek…different angle…please.”

Derek slows to a stop, and lifts Stiles’ legs to his shoulders. As Derek resumes his rhythm, Stiles knows the change has helped. Derek is hitting his prostate with every thrust, and it is driving Stiles wild.

“Oh god! Fuck. Oh, yeah.” Stiles is lifting his hips to meet Derek’s thrusts, taking him deeper. Stiles’ moans and outcries drive Derek to fuck him harder. The shivers Stiles feels when his prostate is hit are constant now. His whole body feels like it’s shaking. “Fuck me, Derek. God, I’m so close.”

“I’m about to cum, Stiles,” Derek shouts.

The next thrust sends Stiles over the edge. He’s cumming without touch himself, covering his own chest with each spasm. “Oh my god! Holy fucking shit!” 

Stiles’ hole tightens as he releases, and Derek can’t stop himself. He shudders as he fills Stiles’ ass, bucking deeper into Stiles as he does so. “Fuck, Stiles. God.”

Derek collapses on top of Stiles, ignoring the sticky aftermath across Stiles’ stomach. Their chests rise and fall rapidly from the orgasms and physical exertion. Derek rolls off of Stiles and lies beside him on the bed.

“God, I love you,” Stiles says. Shit. Fuck. They just had their first date yesterday. He can’t say that this soon. Fuck. “I…I…Derek, I’m sorry. I just,” but Stiles can’t think of anything to say.

“Why are you sorry? I always want you to be honest with me. Is that how you really feel?” Derek asks.

“I know it seems soon, and I know it’s crazy, but yes. That’s how I feel. I love you,” Stiles answers honestly.

“You know we’ve known each other for years, and have been friends for a long time now. When a relationship starts from that, the emotions are already stronger. Plus, you know what?” Derek looks at Stiles, raising his eyebrows. Stiles just stares back. “I love you, too.”

Those damned butterflies are back in Stiles’ stomach. “You do?”

Derek smiles and nods rapidly. “I really do.”

Derek kisses Stiles. Stiles can’t think of the right words to describe how passionate the kiss is. Stiles has never let himself be this open and carefree with anyone, even Scott. Somehow, he knows the same is true for Derek. This kiss solidifies something within Stiles. It’s almost like he was incomplete, but didn’t know it until the void was just filled.

“You’re sure this isn’t just some strange dream?” Stiles asks, jokingly.

“Have you dreamed about this before?” Derek teases.

Stiles is dumbfounded. “Well…I…don’t avoid the question.”

“It’s not a dream Stiles. I love you.”

“And, I love you.” As Stiles goes in for another kiss, his cell phone rings. “If that’s Scott, I’m going to throw three-hundred pounds worth of weights at him later.” He picks up the phone to see Lydia’s picture on his screen. “Hello?”

“So, are you going to sleep all day, or are you actually going to come over and plan out this attack with us?”

“What?” Stiles asks.

“It’s past noon, and we’ve all been sitting here for half an hour,” Lydia answers in her snarkiest voice. “By the way, do you know when your boyfriend plans on getting here? We haven’t heard from him either.”

“Uh…I’m sure he just slept in late, too.”

“Why are you lying to me? Are you guys on another date? You can’t miss two meetings for dates,” Lydia asserts.

“I promise you, we’re not a date. I’ll call him and we’ll head over, ok?”

“You’re hiding something. You know I’ll figure it out.”

“Lydia, can you just drop it, please? I’ll see you in a few,” Stiles promises.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” she answers. “Hmmm. Well, I’ll see you soon, love!”

Stiles hangs up the phone. “We better head over there. Apparently, it’s past noon.”

Derek laughs. “I guess we slept even better than we thought!”

“I’ve never slept that well in my life!” Stiles admits.

“Me neither,” Derek answers.

“Must be the clean sheets,” Stiles teases.

Derek smiles. “Yeah. That must be it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two sexy-time chapters in a row? My bad. Lol. All weekend, I just couldn't get the idea of morning sex out of my head. Sorry, not sorry! 
> 
> FYI- We're getting close to the end now folks! There are only 5 chapters left (unless my outline changes for some reason). By the end of next week at the latest, this story will no longer be a WIP!!!


	16. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group plans out their attack against Malachi.

The loveseat is empty again for Stiles and Derek as they enter Scott’s house. Danny and Isaac are next to each other on the couch; Scott’s head is in Isaac’s lap and his feet are resting on the left arm of the couch. Isaac runs his fingers through Scott’s hair. Jackson and Lydia are talking together in the arm chair. Since everyone knows they’re together now, Stiles and Derek cuddle up on the loveseat together; they are so close that they could fit another person on there with them.

“Hey, guys. Glad you could make it,” Lydia teases.

“Very funny, Lydia! Why don’t we get to business, though?” Stiles asks, unfazed. “The sooner we get through with Malachi, the sooner we can all go back to our peace and quiet!”

“He’s got a point, Lydia. Leave the newlyweds alone,” Isaac suggests.

“Fine. What’s the plan then?” Lyida asks.

“That’s what today is about,” Derek says, officially. “We need to come up with a plan of attack. We plan now, practice tonight during training, and then execute tomorrow. Otherwise, we risk Malachi changing his location.”

“Doesn’t that seem a little foolish, though?” Scott asks. “We should really spend some time working on the execution before implementing it. Otherwise, we risk being underprepared.”

“That’s not an unfair point, Derek,” Jackson adds.

“How many more people are you willing to let die? If we don’t act quickly, there’s nothing to stop Malachi from biting more innocent people,” Danny points out.

“If we come up with a solid plan, we’ll be fine. We have the element of surprise on our side, and they still don’t know how to react to Stiles. He’s bested them at every opportunity,” Derek counters.

Stiles doesn’t want anyone to be too confident in him, even Derek. Stiles doesn’t want to offend Derek, so he rests his hand on Derek’s inner thigh to show his sincerity as he says, “I’ve never been up against so many of them, though. There’s no guarantee I can even get to Malachi.” Scott notices the small gesture and looks questioningly at Stiles who avoids his eye contact.

“If the rest of us can keep the others occupied, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to get to him,” Derek responds, copying Stiles’ gesture. 

“Stiles, are you thirsty?” Scott interrupts.

Stiles is confused. “Maybe a little.”

“I am,” Jackson answers.

“Me too,” says Lydia.

“Stiles, why don’t you come help me get drinks for everyone?” Scott asks.

“Ok,” Stiles answers tentatively.

As Stiles follows Scott into the kitchen, he can hear the others debating and formulating behind them. Scott turns on the radio loud enough to drown out the conversation. He grabs Stiles by the arm and drags him as far away from the living room as possible.

“You had sex with Derek?” Scott asks, but it’s not really a question.

“Shut up! There’s only one human in the next room; they’ll hear you,” Stiles protests.

“That’s why I turned on the fucking radio,” Scott responds. “So?”

Stiles can’t refrain from telling Scott. “Yeah…for the first time, this morning. That’s why we’re late. How did you know?”

“You’re my best friend, dude. I can tell. Plus, I saw you wince as you sat down.” Stiles blushes. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed; we’ve all been there. If it hurts, why don’t you just heal yourself?”

“I guess I haven’t healed myself because this is kind of like a rite of passage, right? Badge of honor. I mean, it’s supposed to hurt a little.”

Scott shrugs. “Isaac and I are werewolves, remember? We can’t control our healing. So, it just kinda felt better after.”

“So, you guys both…?”

Nodding his head, Scott answers, “Yep. It was the only way to figure out what we liked. Now we know.”

“Yeah? That’s what Derek and I are doing now.” Stiles can’t believe they’re actually having this conversation. “This morning was fantastic. I can’t imagine…the other way feeling any better.”

“It’s definitely different, but both are awesome in their own way,” Scott tells Stiles.

“God! Would you ever have imagined us having this conversation?” Stiles asks.

Scott laughs loudly. “Before Isaac? No. After Isaac and I got together and I saw the way you and Derek were around each other? Yes.”

Stiles stares at Scott, furrowing his brow. “Asshole.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.” If Stiles is going to be honest, he may as well spill everything. “Something else happened, too.”

“What?”

“This is just a between you and me thing, ok? I don’t know if it’s something I’m ready to share with everyone yet,” Stiles says.

“You and me,” Scott promises.

“I told Derek I love him.” Scott’s eyes widen in mild shock. “And…he said he loved me, too.” Scott’s jaw falls open. 

After he composes himself, Scott says, “That’s awesome, Stiles. That’s really…I’m so glad you finally have someone who cares about you.”

“Thanks. You think we can go back in now? Derek’s probably figuring out how I’ll save the day. I should probably be there,” Stiles only half-jokes.

Scott nods his agreement while laughing. They grab a few glasses of water and head back into the living room. Isaac has pulled out a laminated map from somewhere and has it unfolded on the floor. Derek is drawing on the map with a dry erase marker.

“If we attack from each of these directions, there shouldn’t be too many wolves for any of us,” Derek says.

“That’s true, but you’re forgetting about the watch tower. What happens when they notice all of us?” Isaac asks.

“The forest is thick around the old ranger’s station; if we’re careful enough, we should be able to take out the perimeter walkers before the watchers see us. Then, it will still be an even fight,” Derek explains.

“Well, some of us apparently glow in the dark,” Stiles interrupts.

“That’s only when you’re using your powers,” Derek counters. “You just have to wait until the right moment to use them.”

The debate goes on for another hour and a half. At the end, a fairly simple plan is agreed upon by everyone. Tomorrow around midnight, everyone—apart from Lydia who will be driving herself away from the forest—will drive to the edge of the forest about two miles south of the old ranger’s station. Keeping as low as possible, Derek’s pack, Scott, and Stiles will make their way toward the perimeter. Of the wolves Stiles saw in his vision, about 15 make up the perimeter walkers. Danny and Jackson will break from the group, heading west to attack from that direction. Isaac and Scott will go east. Stiles and Derek will continue north.

Once they make it through the perimeter, Danny and Jackson will head for the watch tower while everyone else makes for the ranger’s station. Scott, Isaac, and Derek will deal with the betas and leave Malachi for Stiles. If there are more wolves than Stiles saw in his vision, then the goal will be to keep them occupied while Stiles is fighting Malachi. As Stiles is holding Malachi down, Derek and/or Scott will deliver the final blow.

They go over this plan many times when they reach the warehouse. Derek decides that everyone needs to focus on multiple-opponent combat. So, one at a time, someone is chosen as the defender. The other five surround him and attack. 

Stiles notices how much the entire group has improved over the last month. Danny and Jackson fight almost as well as Isaac and Scott. Derek still has a slight edge on the rest because of his superior strength, but the whole group is formidable. Stiles is probably the worst at hand to hand combat, but his powers have become second-hand nature. He can only affect two opponents at the same time, but he can quickly switch to a new opponent after he “pushes” one away.

“I really think we’re ready for this,” Derek says after a few hours. 

Even Isaac seems hopeful. “I wouldn’t want to go up against this group.”

“You just did,” Jackson points out.

“I meant as an enemy,” Isaac retorts.

“Cool it, guys. Let’s all go home and make sure we rest up,” Scott suggests. No one disagrees.

Stiles sees his dad’s car in the driveway as Derek pulls up to his house. “Well, Dad must finally have a shift off.”

“Oh,” Derek says. “Well, I guess I’ll just see you tomorrow, then.” 

Stiles can see the disappointment in his face. “I was hoping you would stay again!”

“I would, but I know you haven’t had a chance to talk to the sheriff yet. Won’t it be awkward having me sleep over?”

“He knows I was interested,” Stiles admits. “He didn’t care then. He won’t care now.”

“Are you sure?” Derek asks.

“Absolutely. So, will you please stay?” Stiles does his best impression of a sad puppy face.

Derek laughs. “How can I say no to that?”

They get out of the car and Stiles grabs Derek’s hand, leading him into the house. As they walk in, there sheriff comes in from the kitchen. He spots Stiles and Derek and raises his eyebrows.

“So, he does like men,” is all the sheriff says.

“I like Stiles,” Derek answers.

“Good. If you break his heart, I’ll arrest you.” Then, he adds, “again.”

“Dad!” Stiles shouts, but Derek and the sheriff are laughing.  
“Well, I just cooked a frozen pizza if you guys are hungry. I was about to start Big Jake; you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“Big Jake is my favorite John Wayne movie,” Derek responds, excitedly. Then, he lowers his voice a little and does his best impression, “anything goes wrong, anything at all…you’re fault, my fault, nobody’s fault…it won’t matter. I’m gonna blow your head off. No matter what else happens, no matter who gets killed, I’m gonna blow your head off.”

“Hmmm,” utters the sheriff, surprised. “That ain’t half bad, Derek.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Stiles and Derek decide to watch the movie with the sheriff. They start off at opposite ends of the couch, but move closer as the movie goes on. Eventually, Derek stretches out his arm and Stiles curls up against him, resting his head between Derek’s shoulder and neck. Stiles looks over at his dad and smiles. The sheriff winks as he smiles back. Stiles couldn’t be happier.

When the movie ends, Stiles and Derek drag themselves upstairs. They’re both exhausted from the long evening of training and planning. They strip down to their boxer briefs and crawl into bed. Derek wraps his arms around Stiles and snuggles into place. 

“Who knew you were such a John Wayne fan?” Stiles teases.

“What do you mean?” Derek asks.

“Well, you practically quoted the entire movie with my dad while it was on.”

“I did not!”

“Oh, yes you did. It was cute, though. I’m glad you guys have something in common.”

“That’s not the only thing we have in common,” Derek says.

“Oh yeah? What else?” Stiles asks.

“We both love you.”

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m totally awesome,” Stiles jokes. Derek bites playfully on his shoulder. “HEY! Ok, ok. I love you, too!”


	17. The Battle of Beacon Hills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the big battle.

Stiles shies away from the light streaming in through his open curtains as he wakes up. As he moves away, he feels Derek beside him and the smile that spreads across his face is brighter than the midday sun peeking into the room. Craning his neck up slightly, Stiles wakes Derek with a gentle kiss to his bottom lip.

Derek moans slightly as he stretches out the last remnants of his sleep. "G'morning, love," he manages to mumble as he sees Stiles.

Stiles' cheeks redden as he answers, "Good morning!"

Derek rolls onto his side and pulls Stiles in close. Derek kisses Stiles' shoulder before nuzzling into place between his neck and shoulder. Stiles leans back into him, closing off any remaining space between them. 

"I'm thinking," Derek starts, "that, since we have the big battle tonight, we should take it easy today."

"That seems appropriate," Stiles answers. "What do you have in mind?"

Derek squeezes Stiles tighter. "Oh, I don't know. I'm open for suggestions."

Stiles rolls over so that he and Derek are cuddling face to face. He slides his hand down Derek’s back, stopping to grab Derek’s ass. He slaps it gently and says, “If I understand right, it’s someone else’s turn to…” Stiles wiggles his eyebrows, “you know.” Stiles looks down at his own crotch, smilling.

“It is,” Derek answers, “but, don’t you think we should…save our energy for tonight?”

“Tonight is still quite a few hours away,” Stiles points out.

“Yes, but after tonight, we’ll have all the time in the world to explore our interests.”

“All the time in the world, you say?” Stiles asks.

Derek nods, kissing Stiles.

Stiles thinks for a few moments. "Well, I guess we could just stay in bed all day and watch some movies. It could be an at-home date."

"Then, I think that sounds perfect," Derek says.

Stiles and Derek spend the rest of the afternoon and evening together watching movies and talking. Stiles makes Derek watch The Fellowship of the Ring, and Derek admits that it's not as bad as he thought it would be. He even promises to watch the sequels with Stiles. Stiles suffers through Derek's pick: The Fast and the Furious. He refuses to watch the sequels, though.

Stiles buys them Chinese food for dinner, which they eat in bed. After dinner, they watch Star Wars IV: A New Hope because they both love it. Their full stomachs and day full of laziness cause both of them to fall asleep about 30 minutes in. When they wake up, the movie is over and they only have an hour before meeting up with everyone else for the ambush. They spend this time going over the plan.

Derek drives Stiles over to Scott's an hour before midnight. Storm clouds have gathered in the sky over the last few hours adding an unnecessary element of unease to the air. Jackson, Danny, and Lydia aren't there when Stiles and Derek arrive, but pull up shortly after. The group is buzzing with nervous energy, but everyone seems ready to bring an end to the violence.

"Imagine it guys. This could all be over in a few hours!" Danny says, excitedly.

"Yeah. 'Could' being the operative word," Isaac points out.

Being the typical alpha, Derek adds, "If we stick to the plan, everything will work out fine."

“We do have a good plan,” Isaac relents.

“Yeah, as long as Stiles’ intel is correct,” Jackson says.

Stiles scoffs. “Hey! I can’t control what I see. It just happens.”

“You all will do fine; I’m sure of it,” Lydia interrupts. “Now, why don’t we all stop bickering and put this plan in action?”

“Sounds good to me,” Scott offers.

Derek takes the lead. “Lydia, you go ahead and leave first. We’ll give you about a 15 minute head start. I don’t want you anywhere near here, ok? The rest of us will split up between Jackson’s car and mine as we have the fastest cars; no offense, Stiles.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my jeep, but fine.”

They all say quick goodbyes to Lydia. Fifteen minutes after she drives southward, everyone else piles into Derek's and Jackson's cars. They leave the city limits and follow an old country road to the southern border of the forest. When they reach their entry point, they turn off the cars and head for the woods. At this point, they're far enough away from the ranger's station that they can move quickly without fear of being heard.

The forest is dark and quiet as they make their way toward the perimeter of Malachi's hideout. Thunder starts booming overhead as they walk further and further into the forest. The sound of the thunder should cover a lot of the noises they're making. About half a mile from the perimeter, the group splits up. As planned, Danny and Jackson head westward while Isaac and Scott go eastward. Derek and Stiles stay put for a few minutes so the three-pronged attack is implemented uniformly. 

As Stiles and Derek reach the perimeter, the clouds above finally burst and rain starts falling around them. The trees only offer minimal cover. Looking around, Derek nor Stiles see any of the betas on patrol. A few breathless, cautious moments go by. Stiles is the first to notice movement. Two betas are jumping down from the trees above.

"Derek!" Stiles yells. "Up top!"

Derek looks up in time to strike against both betas. They fall at his sides. "Good eyes," Derek says. He too, though, notices something. "Behind you!"

Stiles focuses on his powers as he turns around. He throws out a hand and the beta slams into a large oak tree, crumbling to the ground after contact. "Thanks!"

Derek and Stiles push forward toward the station and watchtower. However, they encounter no more wolves. When they come upon the clearing where Malachi hides, they can hear fighting on their left and right. Scott and Isaac are back to back fighting against seven or more wolves. Isaac takes a blow to his ribs, but hits back with twice the force, collapsing one of the betas. Scott really is a swift fighter, dodging strikes and delivering his own in a complicated dance. 

Jackson and Danny have split up. Jackson is one-on-one against one of the larger betas in a really even contest. Danny is climbing up the watchtower to combat the wolves there. Stiles focuses on the beta Jackson is fighting. Shoving his hand forward, the beta flies backwards into the woods. He doesn't come back out. 

Jackson turns to see Derek and Stiles at the edge of the woods and smiles. He starts his own ascent of the watchtower. Danny and Jackson reach the top of the tower and immediately start battling it out with the wolves there. Stiles watches as two of them fall on the floor of the watchtower. Scott and Isaac walk to the center of the clearing, having bested all of the betas they were fighting. Stiles and Derek walk to join them. Halfway between the woods and Scott, Stiles sees movement from the tower.

Stiles' heart stops as he watches Danny fall from the watchtower. His limbs hang limply as falls. Stiles points his hand toward Danny, and stops him in midair. Slowly, he lowers him to the ground.   
"He's just unconscious!" Jackson’s voice barely carries through the sound of the rain.

Everyone breaths a sigh of relief, rushing over toward Danny. The muscles in his face react slightly to the falling rain, so Stiles assumes he’ll be perfectly fine in a few minutes. He doesn’t have time to find out, though. The door of the ranger station bursts open and Malachi rushes out with his remaining betas. Including Malachi, there are ten new attackers. So, Stiles' count was slightly off.

Stiles recognizes one of the betas from Lydia’s kidnapping as it shouts, “Malachi, that’s the strange one.” He’s pointing right at Stiles. 

Derek and Scott rush forward. Isaac stays to protect Danny. Stiles moves slowly, trying to get close to Malachi. Even though they are the best fighters, Scott and Derek are overwhelmed by all of the betas. It makes sense that Malachi would keep the strongest near him. Fighting back-to-back, Derek and Scott are barely keeping themselves protected, and are not making any progress against the betas at all. With all of the commotion, Stiles doesn’t have a clear path to Malachi, so he starts moving around the large battle in the middle. Malachi mirrors his movements and they circle Scott, Derek, and the betas.

Jackson climbs down from the watchtower, having knocked out the last of the wolves there. Danny begins to stir near the base of the tower, so Isaac follows Jackson into the battle. Together, with Scott and Derek, the four of them begin to separate the wolves away from Malachi. Only one wolf stands between Stiles and Malachi. Stiles extends his hand and throws the beta into the wall of the ranger’s station. He falls limply to the floor of the porch. Stiles sprints toward Malachi, arm forward.

Malachi transforms into his full alpha wolf shape. The snarling howl that accompanies the transformation sends shivers down Stiles’ spine. Malachi dashes forward toward Stiles. When they’re less than 20 feet apart, Stiles forces his power forward and stops Malachi in his tracks. Stiles looks to his right and sees Derek and Jackson locked in an intense battle with three of Malachi’s betas. To his left, Scott and Isaac each battle one-on-one. Stiles arm starts to shake and he returns his focus to Malachi. Holy fuck he’s strong, Stiles thinks as he notices that Malachi is pushing forward through Stiles’ power.

Stiles raises his other hand to focus his power even more. Malachi is slowed further, but is still advancing. Stiles’ whole body is trembling now as his mind races to find an alternative solution. None of his friends are doing any better in their fights to attempt to help. Stiles is on his own.

Malachi is less than five feet away when Stiles starts to feel his outstretched hands burning. The more Malachi inches forward, the hotter Stiles’ hands are. Malachi must be hurt, because Stiles recognizes this burning sensation. It’s his healing power. He doesn’t see anything wrong with Malachi; the evil alpha is fine.

The alpha. The werewolf. What is a werewolf, Stiles thinks. A werewolf is originally a human that’s been bitten by another werewolf. Stiles remembers joking with Scott when they first discovered his bite about him having a severe case of lycanthropy. Why not, though? The werewolf bite is like an infection. One person is a carrier, and spreads it to another. A werewolf is an infected human. Stiles’ hands are burning with the urge to heal Malachi. Could he actually cure Malachi?

As Malachi opens his ferocious jaws to bite Stiles, Stiles grabs the sides of his head. If his hands were hot before, they must be on fire now. His entire body shakes as the fire spreads from his hands throughout his entire body. It’s strange feeling like his insides are rearranging. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Stiles is aware that all of the fighting has stopped around himself and Malachi. All of the wolves, betas and friends alike, are sheltering their eyes like one would do when the sun is too bright in the morning.

Malachi starts snarling and howling in pain in front of Stiles, pulling his attention back in front of him. He refuses to let go, though. Stiles’ own body is in nearly unbearable pain from the heat. Malachi is moving between his hands, trying to break free; Stiles is too focused though. His power is locked on. Stiles hears snarls turn into screams and feels fur turning into skin between his hands. With one final flare of excruciating heat, Stiles’ power stops. His hands fall free as Malachi collapses to the ground, a human. Powerless.

“Wow! That was…” is all Stiles can get out before dropping to the ground himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think about the way Stiles used his power? Expected/unexpected? Good/bad?


	18. A Return to Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the aftermath of the battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to get to work, but I wanted to post this. That means I didn't edit it yet. Please excuse the errors. I'll fix them later where necessary.

Blackness surrounds Stiles as he regains consciousness. Fuck. He feels weightless. His body doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Stiles remembers having this experience once before. As the memory of Ephraim forms in his mind, he sees a light approaching through the darkness. What did he do to cause Ephraim to show up?

“I am not Ephraim, Stiles Stilinski,” says an unembodied voice. 

Searching his memories, Stiles pulls up two names. “Then you must be Gideon or Dinah.”

“Your memory serves you well,” the voice compliments. “I am Gideon.” As he says this, Gideon becomes corporeal before him. If he looks any different than Ephraim, Stiles’ eyes aren’t good enough to perceive it.

“Gideon. I see. So, you’re in charge of the physical world, right?” Stiles asks.

“My duties include maintaining balance within the physical world, yes,” Gideon answers. “This is why you have been brought here.”

“This has something to do with Malachi,” Stiles assumes. “Curing him has thrown off some sort of balance?”

“Malachi is an integral part of why you have been summoned to the realm of light, but what you have done to him has not thrown off any balance. Furthermore, you don’t seem to understand what you have achieved with Malachi; the word ‘cure’ does not explain what has happened to Malachi.”

“So, Malachi isn’t human again?” Stiles asks.

“Listen to my words, Stiles Stilinski; I did not say that. Malachi has not only been reverted to a human state, but curing him of his affliction has also emplaced immunity within his being. He will never be able to be anything other than a human,” Gideon explains.

Wow, Stiles thinks to himself. He had only meant to make Malachi human. He never dreamed he would be able to do something so powerful. It never even crossed his mind.

“You are only beginning to touch and master your full array of powers. We did not know how powerful you would become. Ester was the last of the seraphim to descend into mortality. Her powers were greater than all other seraphim. It seems you have inherited more powers than we thought possible.”

“I thought you all were crazy powerful. Shouldn’t you have known that?”

“As Ephraim told you, Stiles, our powers are far from limitless. While we can perceive the course of the future, we cannot predict it. Ester was a healer; this is why your healing abilities are so strong. No other halfling has ever been able to extend their healing powers to others. This is why we did not assume you would be able to change a werewolf into a human, or give someone immunity. This is the reason you have been brought here. 

While being a werewolf is similar to an infection, werewolves are not an unnatural part of your world. They have evolved as humans have, as all beings have. There is a certain balance needed between werewolves and humans. The existence of hunters already endangers this. Your unique ability is a further threat. 

Your powers are solely for protection, not elimination or population control. We cannot strip you of this power without stripping you of all your powers. Therefore, we must command you not to use it. If you go around making werewolves human again, we will strip you of your powers. Do you understand this?”

Stiles takes a moment to process all of this. He remembers how much it hurt to cure Malachi; the burning was unbearable. The act drained him fully. He thinks of all the people he has and will be able to help with his powers. He can’t imagine giving them up now that he feels like he can protect himself and others.

“I understand,” Stiles declares firmly.

“There is great potential within you, halfling. Do not limit your own imagination. Your powers can be exponentially more than they are now. Be swift in your training. I feel a darkness coming to Beacon Hills different from anything you have experienced before.”

With that, Gideon and his light begin to fade. Stiles is once again overcome by darkness. He feels himself falling. He knows he’s heading back to his own body. When he feels himself embodied again, he shifts his body. Stiles feels a hand rubbing up and down his arm. He realizes he’s in his own bedroom. The curtains are closed, and he can’t tell if it’s day or night.

“Derek,” Stiles says sleepily. The hand on his arm grips tightly. He turns around to face the man he loves. When he sees Derek, Stiles notices that Derek’s eyes are bloodshot. “Oh my god! Are you ok?”

Derek sniffs once, and then smiles the cutest little half smile Stiles has ever seen. “I am now. I didn’t know if you were going to wake up or not; you’ve been out for days.”

Stiles leans in and gives Derek a kiss that can only be shared by two people in love. “I’m ok. I feel great!” Stiles only lies a little. Physically, he feels fine. Mentally, he’s still tired. He just knows Derek is worried about the first. “How many days was I out?”

Derek closes his eyes, trying to block out the bad memory. “Almost five days.”

“Wow. What happened after I passed out?”

“Well, we were all kind of shocked, so it’s kind of confusing. The betas ran off. We didn’t follow them because we were worried about you and wanted to stay close to Malachi. Malachi finally regained consciousness after an hour or so and was pissed. He kept trying to shift into the alpha shape, but something you did prevented him from doing that. We kept him in the ranger station overnight and left an anonymous tip with the police station. Apparently, he wasn’t careful and left some evidence with one of the murders. Your dad arrested him. If he transforms in prison, though, he’ll be able to break out.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen. I cured him,” Stiles says.

“Cured him of?”

“Being a werewolf. He’s human again and immune to becoming a werewolf ever again,” Stiles answers.

“How?” Derek asks.

Stiles explains his experience with Gideon. “So, he won’t be a problem.”

“That’s incredible, Stiles. You really are powerful.” Stiles shrugs. “We have to call Scott and the others. They’re going to be so impressed.” Derek turns and reaches for his phone. Stiles grabs his shoulder and pulls him back.

“Have the betas come back at all?”

“No.”

“Are we in any danger right now?”

“No,” Derek repeats, eyebrows raised.

“Well, I’ve been out for five days. I woke up in the arms of someone I love. That incredibly sexy person had been crying because he thought he might lose me. Scott and the others can wait.”

Derek smiles. “Oh.”

Stiles leans into Derek again, kissing more sloppily this time. He’s never been more thankful for waking up in briefs with Derek. His hands run up and down Derek’s chiseled upper body. He will never stop being in awe of Derek’s muscles. Derek’s hands explore Stiles’ body as well, making Stiles feel sexy.

Pulling away from Derek, Stiles reaches down and tugs at Derek’s briefs. “Um…these are kind of in my way. Let’s lose ‘em.” Stiles smiles slyly.

Derek lifts up his hips so Stiles can pull the briefs off. Stiles bites his own bottom lip when he sees that Derek is already half hard beneath them. Stiles doesn’t waste any time. He settles himself between Derek’s legs and takes Derek fully into his mouth. Derek exhales softly above him. Stiles uses his hand to help stroke Derek to full length. Jerking and sucking Derek off at the same time results in a loud moan from Derek.

Derek guides Stiles up to his mouth, shoving his tongue into Stiles mouth. “Your turn,” Derek says, reaching down to pull off Stiles’ briefs. Stiles is already hard. He moans deeply as Derek takes him fully within his mouth, squirming into the contact. After a few moments, Stiles lifts Derek’s face. Stiles guides Derek down onto his back. Stiles reaches into his bedside table for the lube. He lies down on top of Derek and kisses him softly on the lips.

“Are you sure you want to try this?” Stiles asks, staring into Derek’s eyes.

Derek nods softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Stiles slips down between Derek’s legs again. He lubes up a finger and rubs soft circles around Derek’s hole. Derek moves slightly beneath his touch. As Stiles feels Derek’s muscles give, he pushes his middle finger into his lover. He feels Derek tighten around the intrusion. Stiles moves his finger in and out, smiling as Derek actually squirms beneath him. Stiles adds a little lube and pushes in a second finger. Derek groans at the contact, but pushes down on Stiles fingers. This drives Stiles crazy. Looking at his own cock, Stiles notices he is leaking precum.

Stiles pulls out his fingers and adds lube to his own natural lubricant. He strokes his cock a few times and exhales slowly. He lines himself up at Derek’s hole. “Don’t stop breathing; it helps,” he tells Derek. Slowly, Stiles pushes in to Derek. Derek winces, biting on his bottom lip. Stiles stops, but Derek pushes himself against the intrusion. Once Stiles is fully in, he gives Derek a moment to adjust. He can feel Derek’s muscles convulsing around his cock.

After a few moments, Stiles sees Derek nod at him. Stiles pulls back—almost out of Derek—before pushing back in. God that feels good. Derek grunts beneath him, eyes rolling upwards. Stiles repeats the action, and fuck this really feels good. Derek’s moans encourage Stiles to increase his speed and force. Derek let’s out an “oh, fuck” and Stiles starts losing his mind. He runs his hands up Derek’s body and grabs onto his shoulders. Stiles can get a little deeper this way, and starts pounding harder. 

“Oh, yeah!” Derek utters. “Fuck.”

“God, Derek. You’re driving me crazy.”

“Just...god. Fuck me,” Derek begs.

Stiles obliges, pulling out of Derek and slamming back in. Derek starts pumping his own cock. After three strokes, he’s coming over his own chest. The sight sends Stiles over the edge. Stiles collapses on top of Derek, breathing heavily as he releases into Derek. Neither of them move for a few minutes.

“That was…” Stiles starts.

Derek exhales loudly. “Yeah.”

“Wow. You…uh…make some fantastic noises there,” Stiles says.

“Couldn’t help it,” Derek answers. “Someone was hitting all the right spots.”

“Someone?” Stiles teases.

“Come here,” Derek orders, pulling Stiles up into a soft, intimate kiss. 

They fall asleep together, not bothering to pull up the blankets.


	19. Divisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one, you're just going to have to read.

Stiles wakes up with his head on Derek’s chest, and his arms wrapped around Derek’s waist. His right arm is tingly from being under Derek for so long. Still, he doesn’t move. He lies there feeling the rise and fall of Derek’s breaths. Stiles listens carefully to the rhythmic beating of Derek’s heart. Stiles lets out a gentle sigh and smiles at the closeness he now gets to share with Derek.

“You’re awake?” Derek asks softly.

Stiles tilts his head upwards, locking eyes with Derek and seeing his smile reflected on Derek’s face. “Mmmhmmm.”

Derek lowers his head slightly and kisses Stiles’ forehead. “Do you ever think about how foolish we were?”

“What do you mean?” Stiles asks.

Derek shrugs slightly. “I mean all the time we spent not letting each other know how we felt. I know it’s only been a short while, but I can’t remember why I ever thought you wouldn’t feel the same way I did.”

“We were both caught up in our own insecurities. I don’t know if that makes us foolish or not. I just keep thinking—and I know it sounds ridiculous—how different things could be if Malachi hadn’t attacked. I mean, we both had our feelings for each other before he came around, but his actions led to situations that pushed us together.”

Derek considers this for a minute. “I guess you have a point there. In the long run, none of us are worse off.”

“I’m sure we would have found each other anyway,” Stiles offers.

Derek kisses Stiles softly. “Agreed.”

Stiles lowers his head again, resting it in the middle of Derek’s chest. He squeezes tightly around Derek’s waist. Derek lightly runs his fingers through Stiles’ hair.

After a few moments, Derek speaks again. “I absolutely love having you to myself right now, but do you think we should go see everyone? They’re worried about you; you’d never been out this long before.”

“I’d like to see them. I was surprised none of them were here when I woke up,” Stiles answers.

“Well, I sort of sent them home.”

“What?” Stiles asks.

Derek shrugs. “After we tried to figure out what happened, they all just sort of sat there staring at you. It was driving me crazy. Once they left, I just crawled in bed and stayed with you until you woke up. They kept texting of course, especially Scott.”

“Maybe we should have gone and seen them when I woke up last night,” Stiles says.

“Well, let’s not get carried away. Last night was,” Derek pauses, “…last night was fantastic.”

Stiles beams. “Yes. Fair point. Agreed.” Stiles laughs. “We really should go now, though.”

“I know,” Derek agrees.

Stiles climbs out of bed and reaches for a pair of briefs from his dresser. Behind him, he hears Derek clear his throat. Stiles turns to face him.

“Yes?” Stiles asks, raising one eyebrow.

Derek won’t meet Stiles eyes. He seems to be thinking very carefully about what he wants to say. “Uh…Stiles. You’ve been sleeping for five days…and we had sex last night. Don’t you think we should shower first?”

Right. Stiles probably stinks by now. “We?”

Derek smiles and shrugs at the same time.

Stiles feigns seriousness. “Well, we definitely don’t want to smell. It’s only hygienic.”

Derek follows suit. “My thought exactly.”

Stiles grabs lube from his bedside table and leads Derek to the restroom, closing the door shut behind them. He’s rewarded by Derek pressing him up against the door, pinning his arms above his head with one hand. The lube falls to the floor. Derek’s other hand grips Stiles above his hip. Derek kisses the spot where Stiles neck and shoulder meet, and then drags his teeth up to Stiles’ jaw. Stiles shudders against the door, moaning softly. Derek nibbles along his jaw until he clenches and pulls Stiles’ bottom lip with his teeth.

“Fuck, Derek,” Stiles moans. “I’m hard already.”

Derek moves his hand from Stiles’ hip and grips Stiles’ rock hard erection. “Good. That’s the plan.”

Derek drops to his knees and takes Stiles fully within his mouth. Stiles arches into Derek’s mouth and drops his hands to Derek’s head. He guides Derek’s head up and down his cock, moaning at the warmth around his erection. There’s a catch in Stiles’ moan as Derek slips a lubed finger into his hole. 

Derek works Stiles’ muscles loose, quickly adding a second finger. Stiles’ short grunt slowly turns into a pleasurable exhale as he adjusts to the intrusion. He’s not sure that his legs will continue to hold him up if Derek keeps hitting his prostate. 

“I’m good, Derek.”

“You sure?” As Stiles nods, Derek stands up and positions himself between Stiles’ legs. “Put your arms around my neck.” Stiles obeys.

Derek spreads his own legs apart slightly, and pulls Stiles’ legs up to his waist. Derek positions himself at Stiles’ entrance and lubes up his cock. Stiles bites down on his bottom lip as Derek pushes in. Stiles notices it doesn’t hurt as much this time. He nods at Derek to start moving. Derek pulling out and pushing back in quickly. Stiles breath catches with each thrust as his back is slammed into the door. It feels good, but it’s slightly uncomfortable. After a few more thrusts, Stiles slides his arms down to Derek’s shoulders and pushes himself off of Derek.

“Are you ok?” Derek asks, softly.

“It’s just not a good angle,” Stiles answers. “I want to try something, anyway.”

Derek lets Stiles down, and allows Stiles to push him down to the floor. Derek squirms a little when his back touches the cool tile. Stiles straddles Derek, placing his knees at each of Derek’s sides. Stiles guides himself down on Derek’s erection and finds a much better angle. Stiles puts his hands on Derek’s shoulders and starts moving up and down. Each movement hits Stiles in the perfect spot, causing him to buck slightly. Derek grabs Stiles hips to steady him. Each time Stiles lowers himself, Derek pounds upwards to meet him.

“Oh, god. Fuckme!” Stiles yells.

“Fuck, I’m cumming, Stiles.” Derek moans.

On Derek’s last thrust, Stiles’ orgasm bursts across Derek’s chest. “Holy fuck.”

“You didn’t even touch yourself,” Derek says, breathily.

“Yeah. Wow,” Stiles breaths. “Wow.”

“Did you know that could happen?”

“Nope,” Stiles answers. “But, wow.”

Stiles and Derek shower up and head back to Stiles’ room to get dressed. Luckily, Isaac had brought Derek a bag of his own clothes a couple days ago. So, Derek doesn’t have to try and fit into one of Stiles shirts. As Derek is getting dressed, Stiles giggles.

“What?” Derek asks.

Stiles smiles. “I was just remember the last time I paid attention to you changing in here…Miguel.” Stiles erupts in laughter.

“Thanks for that by the way!”

“Oh, you’re welcome.”

Stiles takes Derek’s hand and they walk down to Derek’s car. The ride over to Scott’s house has become routine. When they pull up to Scott’s, they see that everyone else is there. At least this way, Stiles won’t have to tell the story more than once. They walk into the house, and are overwhelmed by the outburst of cheers.

“Stiles! You’re awake!” Scott yells.

“It is so good to see you moving around!” Lydia shouts.

Danny and Isaac just scream, “Stiles!”

Even Jackson offers a mild-volumed, “Stilinski! We’re glad you aren’t dead.”

All of their comments are accompanied by hugs and pats on the back and hand squeezes. Stiles has rarely felt so loved and supported. It means a lot that his friends are reacting so fully.

“Come on guys! You can’t kill something this annoying,” Stiles jokes.

“You’d just kick our ass if we tried anyway,” Jackson argues.

“Well,” Stiles starts, “that’s true.”

Everyone laughs. The group moves themselves into the living room. Everyone wants to be near Stiles, but there’s only so much of him to go around. Derek begrudgingly decides to sit on the floor between his knees so Scott and Lydia can sit at either of his sides on the couch. Jackson, Danny, and Isaac all squeeze onto the loveseat.

“So, I guess you all want to know what happened?” Stiles guesses.

“If you know, that would be great,” Danny says. “We’re all confused as hell.”

“Yeah. What did you do to Malachi to prevent him from transforming?” Isaac asks.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll try to be as quick as possible.” Stiles tries his best to sum up what happened. “When I tried to hold Malachi off with my powers, he was able to push through. He was really strong. I focused as much as I could on holding him back, but he kept advancing. The closer he came, the more my hands burned. So, I figured he must be hurt—remember, I burn when I heal—but, I couldn’t see anything wrong with him.

I realized that the reason he seemed ill to me is that he’s a werewolf. I thought that basically, a werewolf is a human with an infection. I mean that bite has to be passed from person to person. So, I figured my last-chance option was to try and heal the werewolf out of him. It worked. It burned like hell, but it worked. I made him human again.”

“WHAT?!” Scott yells. “How is that even possible?”

“Can I finish?” Stiles asks.

“Oh…uh, yeah.”

“When I passed out, I went back to the Realm of Light. This time I spoke with Gideon. He told me that I hadn’t only healed Malachi, but he will now be immune to becoming anything other than human. Apparently, the angel I’m descended from was a healer, and that’s why I’m powerful enough to cure werewolves of their…lycanthropy. Gideon explained that werewolves aren’t unnatural though, and that I can’t just go around changing werewolves into humans. My powers are about protection, not eradication. So, if I keep changing werewolves into humans, they’ll strip me of my powers.

Oh, and he told me there’s another evil coming to Beacon Hills. One like we’ve never experienced.”

Everyone stares at Stiles in awe. Stiles watches as each of them tries to process what he’s told them. Scott looks sad. Isaac is just staring at Scott. Danny and Jackson seem frightened or impressed, maybe both. Lydia is just smiling and shaking her head.

“That’s crazy powerful, Stiles,” Danny finally says.

So, he’s impressed. Good. “Thanks!”

“Stiles, can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Scott asks.

“Sure, buddy,” Stiles answers.

Stiles follows Scott into the kitchen, again. Scott won’t look at Stiles; he just paces around the kitchen, clearly frustrated. Stiles gives him a few minutes, but finally walks up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“I know why you’re upset, Scott, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Scott, if I cure you, then I lose all of my powers.” He knows his best friend has wanted to be cured for a long time. Scott is a great werewolf, but he’s always wanted to just be human. Sure, he likes some of the advantages, but he would give them up. It hurts to not be able to help a friend.

“That’s pretty damn selfish, Stiles. You’ve had your powers for what? A month? You haven’t had the chance to see all of the negative side effects. Stiles, I’ve wanted this for years. You know; you’ve been there with me.”

“I’m the one being selfish?” Stiles is taken aback at his friend’s assertion. “You want me to give up my powers to remove you of yours. That’s the definition of selfish, Scott.”

“So, you don’t love me enough to give up something for me? I thought we were brothers, man.” Scott is almost crying he’s so angry.

“We are brothers, and a brother wouldn’t ask me to do this. What would happen to everyone else when this new evil comes? You’d be robbing them of two extra fighters: you and me. Do you really want to risk their lives for the sake of being human?” Stiles can’t believe Scott is acting this way. It’s not like him.

“Don’t change the subject, Stiles. This about you and me. Are you really telling me you won’t do this for me?”

“Scott, I can’t,” Stiles answers, now on the verge of tears himself. “I love you, but I can’t.”

“You can; you just won’t. You don’t really love me, man.” Tears are falling down Scott’s face. “Just go.”

“Excuse me?” Stiles asks.

“Get out of here. Go. I don’t want you here.”

Stiles has never been hit by a battering ram, but he assumes this is what it feels like. He can feel the tears ready to fall, but he refuses to let Scott see them. He starts shaking, and forces himself to leave the kitchen. Everyone in the living room is staring at the kitchen.

“Stiles, he doesn’t mean it,” Lydia says.

“He’s just…” Isaac starts before heading into the kitchen.

Stiles ignores them both and looks at Derek. Derek can see the pain in Stiles’ face, and walks over to him. Grabbing Stiles’ hand, Derek leads him out of the house and into the car. Stiles seems to be in shock the entire drive back to his house. Derek is afraid to say anything, so he just drives. By the time they get to his room, Stiles crumbles to the floor, resting his back against the door. He draws his knees to his chest, and the tears finally escape his eyes.

“He. Hates. Me. So. Much,” Stiles manages to say through his crying.

Derek sits down and pulls Stiles in front of him. Derek wraps his arms around Stiles to shield him from all of his pain. “He doesn’t hate you.”

“He. Does,” Stiles manages. The heavy breaths between each word make it hard for Derek to follow. “I. Should. Just. Do. It.”

“No, Stiles. You’re right. We don’t know what’s coming. He shouldn’t even have asked.”

“It just. Hurts. So much.” Stiles allows his head to fall back against Derek’s shoulder. Derek just holds him even tighter.

“I know. He’ll come around, though. Scott doesn’t have the ability to hate. You know that.”

Stiles nods slowly. He continues to cry until exhaustion finally takes over his body. He falls asleep against Derek, and Derek finally allows himself a small release. One tear falls down the side of Derek’s face as he thinks about the pain that Stiles is in right now. No healing ability will ever be able to remove this pain.

Carefully, Derek lifts Stiles up and carries him over to the bed. He pulls off Stiles’ shoes and jeans, and then does the same to himself. He crawls into bed and throws the blankets over them. Wrapping Stiles in his arms again, Derek falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end.
> 
> So, I guess it's time to announce that I'm making this into a series. I've got a short 10,000 word story I'm going to write first, and then I'll start the sequel to A Protector Among Wolves. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the comments, kudos, and hits. I can't believe my idea for a short little fic grew into a 19 chapter, 35K word story! If you all hadn't showed so much persistence and interest, it would never have become what it is. I'm really happy to finish my first-ever fic, but I'm also sad to let it go (that's part of the reason I'm writing a sequel). Thank you all, and I hope you'll check out my other story once it starts being posted!


End file.
